It's Not As Easy As It Seems
by Zanessalover576
Summary: Troy held Gabriella's hand tightly and looked into her deep brown eyes. "I'll never let anything happen to you. I promise", Troyella.
1. The Start Of It All

Troy Bolton looked up at the wall clock and saw that it was four fifty-nine. He sighed happily. Troy couldn't wait to leave the hospital and go home to his wife. He organized his paper work and files on his desk, shut down his computer, and picked up his briefcase and left his office. Troy walked by the waiting room but was called as soon as his foot stepped into the room.

"Are you in a hurry Dr. Bolton?" the receptionist, Nicole asked.

Troy looked at her and smiled.

"Sort of. I promised Gabi I would be home by six at the latest. Why what's up?" Troy asked.

"Patricia Ross moved her appointment to tomorrow at nine. I'm trying to hold back some of the patients, but it looks like you have a packed day tomorrow" Nicole said.

Troy rubbed the back of his head and sighed.

"I haven't had one of those days in a while" Troy said.

"Go home and see Gabi and get some sleep before your crazy day tomorrow" Nicole said.

"I will. Thanks for the heads up" Troy said.

"No problem" Nicole said.

Troy left the office and walked down the hall to the elevator and got in. He looked at his phone, which read five-fifteen and hoped and prayed that there was no traffic on his way home. The beeping of the elevator pulled Troy out of his thoughts and he walked to the parking garage where his car was waiting for him. He got in and started the car and drove out of the garage. As soon as he got out of the garage, he dialed a familiar number into his phone.

"Hey, how far away are you?" Gabriella asked as she answered the phone.

"I'm just leaving the hospital. I should be home in half an hour" Troy said.

"Okay, I'll see you when you get here" Gabriella said.

"Alright honey" Troy said.

The couple hung up. Troy drove the thirty minute drive to his home. He pulled into the driveway and parked his car. Troy got out of the car and walked to the front door and unlocked it. He walked into the house and placed his briefcase on an end table that was in the entry way. Troy loosened his tie and walked deeper into the house and saw Gabriella in the kitchen, debating on what she should make for dinner. He walked over to his wife and placed a kiss on her cheek.

"Hi sweetheart, how was your day?" Gabriella asked.

"Rough. But, I'm so glad that I'm home" Troy said.

Troy was a pediatrician and had been for a couple of years at Albuquerque General Hospital. He loved kids and wanted to help them through any obstacle that they might have.

"I'm sorry" Gabriella said.

"I have a packed schedule tomorrow. I will literally have no breaks" Troy said.

"Well, we will handle that tomorrow" Gabriella said.

"Yeah, how was your day? Did you meet with your client for that case?" Troy asked.

"Yeah, he was a jerk, but it's okay though" Gabriella said.

"Did he not agree to any of the statements?" Troy asked.

"No and he is causing more problems than any of us need right now" Gabriella said.

"I'm sorry baby" Troy said.

"It's okay. I just need some time to chill and relax before we have to go to court next week" Gabriella said.

"That sounds like a good idea" Troy said.

"Dinner is ready" Gabriella said taking out two plates.

"Okay" Troy said.

Gabriella brought the two plates to the table and Troy sat down next to her. The couple started eating.

"Chad left a message on the answering machine. Did you talk to him today?" Gabriella asked as she ate.

"No, I didn't. I'll call him after dinner" Troy said.

"Okay" Gabriella said.

The couple finished dinner and washed their plates and silverware and placed it into the dishwasher. Gabriella closed the dishwasher and Troy kissed her lips softly.

"Hi" Troy said.

"Hi" Gabriella said.

"Go upstairs and take a bath, Brie. I'm sure that you are pretty tensed up" Troy said.

"Okay" Gabriella said kissing Troy's lips one last time.

Gabriella walked upstairs and went into the master bathroom. She closed the door and turned on the warm water of the Jacuzzi tub. Gabriella waited for the tub to fill up and once it did, she squeezed some of her favorite shower gel into it and got in and sighed happily. She felt her muscles relax and closed her eyes. An hour later, Gabriella got out of the tub and drained the water. She changed into a pair of Troy's boxers and a tank top, a usual outfit that she wore to bed, and walked out of the bathroom and went downstairs. Troy was sitting on the couch flipping through channels on the television. Gabriella sat down next to her husband and leaned her head against his shoulder. Coming to the conclusion that nothing was on TV, Troy turned it off. He looked at Gabriella and smiled.

"I think I'm going to go to bed. I have a long day tomorrow" Troy said.

"Okay baby" Gabriella said.

The couple walked upstairs and went into the master bedroom. Troy took off his shirt and stripped down to his boxers. The couple got into bed.

"So our anniversary is coming up" Troy started.

"Yeah, five years. Well ten if you are counting dating" Gabriella said as Troy entwined their fingers together.

"Don't kill me for what I'm about to say okay?" Troy said.

Gabriella looked at her husband.

"What's wrong?" Gabriella asked.

"The night before our anniversary, we have a plane to catch" Troy said.

Gabriella looked at Troy confused.

"What?" Gabriella asked.

"I planned a trip for our anniversary. I already called into work for both of us" Troy said.

"Where are we going?" Gabriella asked.

"That's for me to know, and you my love, to find out" Troy said kissing Gabriella's nose.

Gabriella smiled. She loved when Troy surprised her with unexpected vacations.

"But, how am I supposed to pack for this trip if I don't know where we are going?" Gabriella asked.

"I'll pack for you. Don't worry about it" Troy said.

Gabriella leaned in and kissed Troy's lips.

"I love you. Have I told you that today?" Gabriella asked.

"Hm.. maybe once or twice but hearing it again is always nice. I love you too" Troy joked kissing her lips.

Gabriella moved so she was straddling Troy's stomach. She kissed him passionately. Troy put his hand on Gabriella's leg and kissed her back.

"I took a pregnancy test today" Gabriella said.

"What did it say?" Troy asked as he gently rubbed his wife's leg.

"Negative" Gabriella said.

Troy sighed in defeat. The couple had been trying for a baby for about six months but had no luck getting pregnant.

"It's okay baby. We can try again. Your doctor said that it wasn't going to be easy" Troy said.

"Yeah but I didn't think it would be this hard" Gabriella said.

"We've only been trying for a little while" Troy said moving a stray hair away from his wife's face.

"I know, but I just hoped that I would have been pregnant by now" Gabriella said.

"Do you want me to stay home tomorrow?" Troy asked.

"As much as I want you to, you have patients that need their doctor" Gabriella said.

"I can call my mom and you guys can go out" Troy said thinking of ways to cheer Gabriella up.

Gabriella smiled and kissed Troy's lips softly.

"Troy, I'm okay. So the test was negative, I'm not going to dwell on it. We just have to try again and hope for the best" Gabriella said.

Troy smiled.

"That, my Brie, is why I love you so much. You have tried to be so positive through this whole thing. I don't know how you do it" Troy said.

Gabriella smiled and got off of Troy's stomach and snuggled into his side.

"I have a really good support system that gets me through each and every day. I love you Troy" Gabriella said kissing her husband's cheek.

"I love you too Gabs. We will get pregnant when the time is right" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded.

"Get some sleep wildcat. You have a long day tomorrow" Gabriella said.

"Alright. Good night" Troy said.

"Night" Gabriella said.

The couple fell asleep in each other's arms. Over the next few weeks, Troy had been hard at work at the office. His schedule was so packed that he didn't even have time to breathe. One day, Troy was reviewing a file of one of his patient's when there was a knock on his office door.

"Come in" Troy said.

"Dr. Bolton, you have someone that needs to see you" Patricia said.

"Send them in please" Troy said.

Gabriella appeared at the door and watched her husband rub his face tiredly. Troy looked up, expecting to see a patient, but instead saw his beautiful wife standing in the doorway.

"Hey pretty girl" Troy said.

"Hey" Gabriella said closing the door behind her.

"Are you done for the day?" Troy asked.

"Yeah, but I wanted to come see my favorite pediatrician before I went home to an empty house" Gabriella said.

Troy smiled.

"I'll be home early I think. Pat has been good with scheduling appointments so I could get home early" Troy said.

"Good. You need some time for yourself" Gabriella said.

"Yeah I do" Troy said.

The phone rang. Troy picked it up.

"Dr. Bolton" Troy answered.

Gabriella smiled every time he heard her husband say that. She was so proud of Troy for all of his accomplishments. Gabriella was pulled out of her thoughts when she heard Troy put the phone back onto the receiver.

"I have to get back to work. But, I will see you at home" Troy said.

"Alright. I love you" Gabriella said kissing her husband's lips.

"I love you too baby girl" Troy said.

Gabriella left the office and drove home. That night, Troy opened the front door and heard women laughing. He walked into the house and saw Taylor, Kelsi, and Gabriella talking in the living room.

"Hey baby. How was work after I left?" Gabriella asked as she kissed her husband's lips.

"Tiring. It got worse after you left. I had appointments non-stop" Troy said as he sat down next to his wife.

"I'm sorry honey. You knew today was going to be busy" Gabriella said.

"I know. I just forgot how busy it gets" Troy said as he put his arm around Gabriella.

"There you guys go again. They can't be in the same room for five seconds without all the lovey-dovey stuff" Taylor joked.

The couple looked at Taylor and Kelsi and smiled.

"I think that is our cue to leave" Kelsi said.

Gabriella smiled. The couple got up and said goodbye to their friends and watched them drive away. Troy closed the door and loosened his tie. He walked back into the living room and saw Gabriella lying on the couch.

"How did everything go after you left my office?" Troy asked knowing that Gabriella was upset about the negative pregnancy test.

"I came home and took a nap. Taylor called in the middle of it and she insisted that she and Kels come over to try and cheer me up" Gabriella said.

Troy smiled and sat down next to his wife.

"Did it work?" Troy asked.

"Sort of, but I needed the one that always can cheer me up the most" Gabriella said snuggling into Troy's chest.

Troy rubbed Gabriella's back in soothing circles.

"I'm here now and it's Friday so I have the whole weekend to try and cheer you up" Troy said kissing Gabriella's forehead.

"I'm just glad you are home" Gabriella said.

"You weren't this upset last night when you told me about it. Did something happen Brie?" Troy asked.

"No, nothing happened. The verdict just set in and I got upset" Gabriella said.

"Okay. Did you eat already?" Troy asked.

"Yes, the girls and I went to Zeke's" Gabriella said.

"Oh" Troy said.

"But, Zeke made you your favorite. It's in the fridge" Gabriella said.

Troy smiled.

"I'll have to call him and thank him tomorrow" Troy said.

The rest of the night, the couple relaxed around the house. The next morning, Gabriella woke up to a sheet wrapped around her. She smiled remembering the previous night's events. She looked next to her and saw Troy sleeping soundly. Gabriella snuggled into her husband's body and wrapped her arms around his waist. Troy moved Gabriella's arms into the proper place on his body and slowly opened his eyes.

"Good morning" Troy said.

"Good morning" Gabriella said.

"What are we doing today?" Troy asked.

"Nothing. I will probably go visit my mom later" Gabriella said.

"Okay, do you want me to go with you?" Troy asked.

"If you want to" Gabriella said.

"I'll go. I haven't seen your mom in a while" Troy said.

"Okay" Gabriella said.

The couple enjoyed the start of their weekend together. They didn't think life could get any better than how it was right now.


	2. A Big Decision

The couple opened the front door of their home after visiting Maria, Gabriella's mother. They walked into the house and went into the living room and sat down on the couch. Troy entwined his fingers with Gabriella's and kissed her knuckles.

"Your mom seemed happy" Troy said.

"Yeah, she's been getting back to her old self. This year was harder than the previous ones" Gabriella said.

Gabriella's father, Robert had died five years ago from being a victim of drunk driving. Gabriella was twenty-two at the time and was about to graduate from college. Her family was devastated when the news was announced and it hit her and her mother hard. The anniversary of his death was around this time of year and the family was still grieving the loss of their family member.

"Maybe she's finally getting the closure that she needed" Troy said.

"Maybe, I mean we will never forget dad, but time has made the grieving process a little bit more manageable" Gabriella said.

"I understand. Your dad was a great man. I know that he loved you and your mom more than anything" Troy said.

Gabriella smiled slightly.

"He loved you too. He always told me that I would be taken care of with you in the picture and that he didn't have to worry about me" Gabriella said wiping a tear that had started running down her cheek.

Troy saw this and kissed Gabriella's cheek and then her lips.

"I love you baby. You always know that you can talk to me about your dad if you need to, right?" Troy said.

Gabriella sniffled and nodded, smiling through her tears.

"Yeah and I'm really happy that I have you in my life. Because I don't know how I would have been able to go through that without you" Gabriella said.

Troy smiled slightly.

"I would still be here. Even if you didn't want me to" Troy said.

Gabriella kissed her husband's cheek.

"I love you" Gabriella said.

"I love you too sweetheart. More than anything" Troy said.

Gabriella wrapped her arms around her husband.

"Troy?" Gabriella asked as she played with the bottom of Troy's shirt.

"Hmm?" Troy said.

"Do you think I should go to the doctor again? I mean, it's been six months" Gabriella said talking about her infertility.

"Baby, she said to wait and see for six more months" Troy said looking at his wife.

"But, what if it doesn't happen in six more months? Then what are we supposed to do?" Gabriella asked.

"If you don't get pregnant in six months, then we can figure out our options. Let's just wait and see what happens in six months" Troy repeated.

Gabriella sighed.

"Brie, I know it's frustrating and I know all you want is to be pregnant right now. I know that and I understand. But, forcing something onto your body that doesn't need it, could harm you in the long run" Troy said.

"So then do we give up? Is that what you are trying to tell me?" Gabriella asked.

Troy sighed. He closed his eyes and licked his lips. Troy took a deep breath and opened his eyes.

"Babe, I'm not saying that I'm giving up. I'm just saying let's wait before we make any drastic decisions" Troy said.

"I'm waiting six more months and if I'm not pregnant, then we need to figure out what the next step should be. Deal?" Gabriella asked.

"Deal" Troy said.

"Sorry that I'm frustrated about this whole thing babe. It just means a lot to me" Gabriella said.

"I know it does Brie. I know it does. But in six months let's see what happens" Troy said.

"Okay" Gabriella said.

"Can I have a kiss? I need one really bad from a really beautiful woman" Troy said.

Gabriella laughed. She leaned over and kissed her husband's lips.

"I love you" Gabriella said.

"I love you too sweetheart" Troy said.

"Taylor and I were going to hang out tomorrow. What are you doing tomorrow?" Gabriella asked.

"I think I'm going to visit my parents. I haven't seen them in a while" Troy said.

"Maybe we can go together tomorrow night. I want to see your parents too" Gabriella said.

"Okay, then we will go tomorrow night" Troy said.

Gabriella leaned her head against her husband's chest.

"What's going on in that head of yours Brie?" Troy asked as he moved a stray hair away from Gabriella's face.

"Nothing. Just thinking" Gabriella said.

"What are you thinking about?" Troy asked.

"Can we try again tonight?" Gabriella asked softly.

Troy smiled slightly. Gabriella was always embarrassed when she would talk about sex. She even felt weird talking about it with Troy. Troy tried to make talking about it easier for her but Gabriella still felt weird talking about it.

"Do you want to?" Troy asked.

Gabriella nodded.

"Tonight" Gabriella said.

Troy smiled.

"Alright. We will try again okay?" Troy said.

"Thank you" Gabriella said.

Troy smiled and kissed Gabriella's lips softly.

"You don't have to thank me for that babe. If we want to do this, it's our decision" Troy said.

"I know but I don't want you to get frustrated, that's all" Gabriella said.

"I only get frustrated when we don't get the result that we want" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded.

"I love you" Gabriella said.

"I love you too baby girl" Troy said.

A couple weeks later, Gabriella came home from work happily. She opened the front door and saw Troy watching television.

"Hi baby, how was your day?" Gabriella asked.

"Fine. How was yours? You are in a good mood today" Troy said kissing his wife's lips.

"I brought some stuff home" Gabriella said.

"Stuff? What stuff?" Troy asked.

Gabriella handed Troy a paper bag. He looked into the bag and then looked at Gabriella.

"Do you think you are pregnant?" Troy asked looking at the pregnancy tests in the bag.

"I don't know. I hope I am" Gabriella said.

"Well, get to urinating. Call me when you are done" Troy said.

Gabriella giggled.

"Why do you have to be such a good doctor?" Gabriella asked.

Troy laughed.

"Because I am. Now, go before your kidneys explode" Troy joked.

"Ha ha. Very funny baby" Gabriella said.

Gabriella walked upstairs and went into the master bedroom. She read the instructions of the test and took them all. After she finished, Gabriella washed her hands and walked downstairs and sat down in the living room with Troy.

"How long do we have to wait?" Troy asked.

"Seven minutes" Gabriella said.

Troy took Gabriella's in his.

"Are you nervous?" Troy asked.

"Yeah, because if I'm not pregnant, we have to try again" Gabriella said.

"Let's just hope that it's positive" Troy said.

Seven minutes felt like such a long time to be sitting and waiting. The timer that Gabriella had set on her phone went off. She turned it off and looked at Troy.

"Good luck" Troy said.

"Thanks" Gabriella said.

Gabriella got off the couch and walked upstairs and went into the master bedroom. She looked at the tests and saw that they were all negative. Gabriella sighed sadly. She threw away the tests and walked downstairs to the living room and sat down next to her husband.

"What's the verdict?" Troy asked.

"I'm not pregnant" Gabriella said breathlessly.

Troy looked at Gabriella.

"I'm sorry Brie" Troy said.

Gabriella smiled slightly.

"It's okay. We just need to try again" Gabriella said.

"Do you want me to call Tay and Kelsi? Maybe you need to just spend some time with friends" Troy suggested.

"Okay" Gabriella said.

Troy kissed Gabriella's cheek. He put his finger under Gabriella's chin and moved it so she was looking directly into Troy's eyes.

"I love you" Troy said.

"I love you too" Gabriella said moving into her husband's arms.

Troy wrapped his arms around his wife and kissed her head.

"Everything's going to be okay" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded. That night, Troy had called Taylor and Kelsi and they took Gabriella out so she could just relax and forget about the pregnancy test. The three women drove to Zeke's restaurant and were seated immediately.

"Okay honey, spill. What's going on?" Taylor asked.

"I took another pregnancy test and it came back negative" Gabriella said.

"Gabi, I'm so sorry" Kelsi said putting a hand on her shoulder.

"It's just so frustrating. I mean, everyone I know got pregnant so fast. Why is it that when I want to get pregnant, I can't?" Gabriella asked.

"Gabi, every woman is different. Just because Kelsi gets pregnant right after she gets married, doesn't mean that I am going to get pregnant right after I get married. I know it's frustrating honey, I know it is. Have you considered other options?" Taylor asked.

"Other options like what?" Gabriella asked.

"You could adopt, have a surrogate, IVF, there are so many options nowadays, Gab" Taylor said.

"I want to carry my own baby. I don't want someone else to" Gabriella said.

"Just think about it okay? You may get pregnant on your own. But, if you can't, there are other options" Taylor said.

Gabriella sighed. She knew Taylor was right and that she should trust her since she is a doctor herself. But, she just couldn't picture herself adopting a baby or taking her and Troy's sperm and estrogen and allowing someone to have their baby for them. Thoughts swirled in Gabriella's head.

"Let me talk to Troy and see what he thinks. We talked about this already and he wants me to listen to the doctor and wait six more months before we move to the next step" Gabriella said.

"But what is the next step in his mind?" Taylor asked.

Gabriella froze. She didn't think of that. Gabriella didn't know what would happen after the six month period was over. Would they stop trying? What would happen to their plans? She was pulled out of her thoughts when Taylor started calling her name.

"Gabs, you don't need to figure all of this out right now. We are just saying that you need to talk to Troy about your options and if you don't want to do that, then what are you both going to do when the six month period is over" Taylor said.

Gabriella nodded.

"There are so many things running through my head" Gabriella said.

"I know there is. But you guys need to figure out a plan B" Taylor said.

"Yeah" Gabriella said.

The women ate and left the restaurant. Taylor dropped Gabriella off. Gabriella unlocked the front door and walked into the house and closed the door behind her. She walked into the kitchen and saw Troy making a sandwich for himself.

"How was your girl time?" Troy asked.

"Tay gave me a lot to think about and some things that I need to talk to you about" Gabriella said.

Troy looked at his wife.

"What did she say?" Troy asked knowing Taylor gave Gabriella medical advice.

"She told me that if we can't get pregnant on our own that we should consider our options" Gabriella said.

"Which are?" Troy asked.

"She told me adoption, IVF, and surrogate. She wants us to consider them" Gabriella said.

"Well, I think it would be weird if we took my sperm and your estrogen and put it into someone who would then have our baby" Troy said.

"I said the same exact thing to Taylor. So, surrogate is not an option. What about adoption?" Gabriella asked.

"I would be open to that. But you had said that you want to have your own child. So that really depends on you and what you think of it" Troy said.

"I want to have my own child and I don't want to adopt. There could be endless possibilities of what could happen down the line" Gabriella said.

"Okay, so adoption is not an option either. So the only thing left is IVF. What do you think of that?" Troy asked.

"What is that exactly?" Gabriella asked her husband.

"IVF is basically when you take my sperm and your estrogen and it creates an embryo that is not developed yet. Once it is created, the doctor will place it into your uterus and you will be pregnant" Troy explained.

Gabriella sighed.

"So that would require surgery" Gabriella concluded.

"Yes" Troy said.

"What do you think of that?" Gabriella asked.

"I would like our baby to come from us" Troy said.

"Me too" Gabriella said.

"So, are we making a decision then? Are you sure you want to do this babe?" Troy asked.

"I want to have my own children and if I need some help, then I want the help" Gabriella said.

"Okay. Call your doctor and set up an appointment" Troy said.

"Okay" Gabriella said.

Troy kissed Gabriella's lips. Gabriella pulled back and looked at her husband.

"I'm going to go call my doctor and set up an appointment" Gabriella said.

"Alright" Troy said.

Gabriella called her obstetrician and made an appointment with her for the following day. She hung up the phone and walked over to Troy and kissed his cheek.

"When's the appointment?" Troy asked.

"Tomorrow at eleven. Can you get out of work for an hour?" Gabriella asked.

"Yeah, I'll ask someone to cover for me" Troy said.

"Okay. Are you scared?" Gabriella asked.

"I should be asking you that question" Troy said.

Gabriella smiled nervously.

"I'm scared. But, it's because I don't know what to expect" Gabriella said.

"This is just a consultation. We aren't doing the whole thing tomorrow. We are just talking about it and setting it up tomorrow" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded.

"And if you don't want to do this, tomorrow is your last chance to say something" Troy said.

"Okay" Gabriella said.

"I'm serious Brie. You don't have to do anything you don't want to do" Troy said.

"Troy, I'm not one of your patients mother's. Relax" Gabriella said.

"Alright" Troy said.

The next morning, the couple were driving to Gabriella's obstetrician's office. Troy pulled into the parking lot and parked his car. He looked at his wife.

"You ready for this?" Troy asked.

Gabriella nodded. The couple got out of the car and walked into the office. Gabriella signed herself in and sat down next to Troy. A nurse came into the waiting room with a file.

"Gabriella Bolton?" the nurse called.

The couple stood up and followed the nurse. Both of their anxiety levels were high. Forty-five minutes later, the couple emerged from the exam room and left the office and walked to the parking lot and got into the car. Troy looked at Gabriella.

"How do you feel baby?" Troy asked.

"A thousand things are going through my head" Gabriella said.

Troy started driving home.

"Same here" Troy said.

"Well, next week is the big day" Gabriella said.

"Yeah" Troy said.

Troy took Gabriella's hand in his. A week later, Gabriella came out of the bathroom. She had started to feel sick but thought that it was just the stress of everything that was going on. Gabriella found a pregnancy test in her bathroom and looked at it and sighed. She took the test, thinking that nothing was going to happen. Seven minutes later, Gabriella went to look at the test and almost passed out when she saw the result.

 _Pregnant_


	3. Dreams That Become Reality

Gabriella looked at the test again and read the result. She sat on the floor of the bathroom and tears ran down Gabriella's cheeks. Gabriella couldn't believe the thing that she had wanted for so long had finally come true. She needed Troy more than anything right now. Gabriella stood up and wiped her tears away. She ran downstairs and picked up her keys and ran out of the front door. Gabriella got into her car and drove to Albuquerque General Hospital as fast as she could. She parked her car and made her way into the hospital and went up to the pediatric unit. Gabriella walked to the front desk and smiled.

"Hi Gabriella" Patricia said.

"Hi Pat, long time no see" Gabriella said.

"I know. I have a feeling you are looking for Dr. Bolton" Patricia said.

"Yes. Is he in with a patient?" Gabriella asked.

"Let me call his office and see" Patricia said.

Patricia waited for Troy to answer the phone until he finally did. She explained to him that Gabriella was in the waiting room unexpected. Patricia hung up the phone and smiled at Gabriella.

"Go on back" Patricia said.

"Thanks" Gabriella said.

Gabriella could feel her heart beating throughout her whole body. She couldn't wait to tell her husband the news that he had wanted to hear for over six months. Gabriella was pulled out of her thoughts when she reached Troy's office door. She knocked politely and heard a faint "come in". Gabriella opened the door and smiled when she saw her husband.

"Hey baby, what's going on?" Troy asked.

"Troy, we did it" Gabriella said.

Troy looked at his wife confused.

"What did we do?" Troy asked.

Tears ran down Gabriella's cheeks.

"Troy, I'm pregnant" Gabriella said.

Troy's eyes widened. A smile crept onto his face.

"Really?" Troy asked.

Gabriella nodded as she cried. Troy got up and walked over to his wife and held her in his arms. He kissed her lips softly. Troy had tears running down his cheeks as well.

"So I guess we aren't doing IVF" Troy said sniffling.

"No" Gabriella said.

"I love you so much Gabriella" Troy said.

"I love you too Troy" Gabriella said.

Troy put his hand on Gabriella's flat stomach.

"Our baby" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded.

"Our baby" Gabriella confirmed.

"The first thing you need to do is call Dr. Hart and set up an appointment with her. We need to make sure that you really are pregnant and it's not just a faulty test" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded.

"I agree. I couldn't wait until five to tell you so that's why I came in" Gabriella said.

Troy smiled.

"I would have done the same thing if I was in your position. Tonight, we will celebrate okay?" Troy said.

"Okay" Gabriella said.

"I have to get back to work. But I will see you at home" Troy said.

"Alright. I love you" Gabriella said kissing her husband's lips.

"I love you too sweetheart. I can't believe this is really happening" Troy said.

Gabriella smiled at Troy's enthusiasm.

"I know. The wait was worth it" Gabriella said.

Gabriella left the office and drove home. She walked into the house and smiled. Gabriella put her hand on her flat stomach.

"I love you baby" Gabriella said.

Gabriella called Dr. Hart like Troy told her to do and set up an appointment to confirm her pregnancy. That night, Troy opened the front door and closed it.

"Baby?" Troy called.

"In the kitchen" Gabriella said.

Troy walked into the kitchen and smiled. He kissed his wife's lips softly and wrapped his arms around her waist.

"All the doctors in my office probably thought I was on happy pills or something after you left" Troy said.

Gabriella giggled.

"Why?" Gabriella asked as she looked at her husband.

"They all said that I was smiling way more than normal and I was much happier" Troy said.

Gabriella smiled.

"Did you tell them why you were so happy?" Gabriella asked.

"No. I don't think we should tell anyone anything until it is confirmed that you are pregnant. Even then, I think we should just tell our families only until you pass the miscarriage point" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded.

"When is the miscarriage point over?" Gabriella asked.

"Three months" Troy said.

"That's not bad. I may be further along than we think. So it may be an easy secret to keep. But Taylor is going to know something is up the moment I see her" Gabriella said.

"Well, you have to keep it a secret. Only family should know right now" Troy said.

"Okay" Gabriella said.

Troy kissed Gabriella's lips softly and put his hand on Gabriella's flat stomach.

"I still can't believe we did it" Troy said.

Gabriella smiled.

"I know" Gabriella said.

"Okay, let's celebrate shall we" Troy said.

Gabriella smiled. The couple went out to dinner and celebrated the good news. The next morning, Gabriella woke up to feeling sick. She rolled over in bed and snuggled into Troy's bare chest. Troy put his arm around Gabriella and slowly opened his eyes.

"Good morning pretty girl" Troy said.

"Morning. I don't feel so good babe" Gabriella said.

"Do you feel like you have to throw up?" Troy asked.

As soon as the words came out of Troy's mouth, Gabriella was running to the bathroom. Troy followed her and watched her sit down in front of the toilet and regurgitate everything that she had ingested the night before. He rubbed her back soothingly.

"It's okay sweetheart. Just relax" Troy said.

Gabriella continued to throw up. Ten minutes later, Gabriella moved away from the toilet and took a shaky breath. Troy put a washcloth in some cold water and wrung it out and wiped his wife's face with it. He put the washcloth down and stood up.

"Here, let me help you" Troy said holding out his hands.

Gabriella took her husband's hands and felt him lift her up to a standing position. She walked to the sink and brushed her teeth. After she finished, Gabriella looked at Troy.

"You okay?" Troy asked.

"Yeah, so that's what morning sickness feels like" Gabriella said.

Troy smiled.

"Yeah, that's what it feels like. Do you want me to make you some tea before I leave for work?" Troy asked.

"Yes please" Gabriella said.

"Alright. Dr. Bolton to the rescue" Troy said.

Gabriella laughed.

"I love you" Gabriella said.

"I love you too baby" Troy said.

The couple walked downstairs and went into the kitchen where Troy made Gabriella a cup of herbal tea to help with her stomach. Troy poured the tea into a cup and handed it to his wife. Gabriella took a sip and closed her eyes.

"Thank you baby" Gabriella said.

"No problem. Are you feeling a little better?" Troy asked.

"A little bit" Gabriella said.

"What time is your appointment with Dr. Hart?" Troy asked.

"At eleven. Can you get someone to cover you for an hour?" Gabriella asked.

"Yeah. It shouldn't be a problem" Troy said.

Gabriella leaned in and kissed Troy's lips.

"Good morning" Gabriella said.

Troy smiled.

"Good morning. I have to get ready for work" Troy said.

"Okay" Gabriella said.

Troy kissed Gabriella one last time before walking upstairs and going into the bathroom to take a shower. Twenty minutes later, Troy walked downstairs freshly shaven and showered. He walked into the kitchen and saw Gabriella eating an apple.

"I have to leave Brie" Troy said.

"Okay" Gabriella said kissing Troy's lips.

"Come by my office when you get to the hospital. We will go over to Dr. Hart together" Troy said.

"Alright. I love you" Gabriella said.

"I love you too sweetheart. Call me if you need anything" Troy said.

Troy left the house and drove to work. A couple hours later, Gabriella walked into the pediatric unit of the hospital.

"He's just getting his stuff together Gabriella" Patricia said.

Gabriella smiled.

"Thanks Pat" Gabriella said as she sat down and waited for her husband.

A few minutes later, Troy walked into the waiting room and smiled at Gabriella.

"You ready?" Troy asked.

"Yeah" Gabriella said.

The couple walked out of the pediatric unit with their hands entwined firmly, holding onto each other for support. They reached the obstetrics office and walked in. Gabriella let go of Troy's hand to sign herself in. She then walked to where Troy had sat down and sat down next to him, taking his hand once again.

"Are you nervous?" Troy asked.

Gabriella nodded.

"Every possible thought is going through my mind" Gabriella said.

"Just relax. Everything will be fine. I'll be with you the whole time" Troy said.

"Are you nervous?" Gabriella asked.

"Yeah, but mostly because I'm worried about you" Troy said.

Gabriella sighed. Troy rubbed Gabriella's fingers with his thumb. A nurse who had blonde long hair and was probably twenty-five came into the waiting room with a file.

"Gabriella?" the nurse called looking at the file.

The couple stood up and entwined their fingers together. They walked over to where the nurse was standing and followed her into the office. The nurse brought the couple into a room which held all vital instruments for pregnant women. She took and recorded all of Gabriella's vitals and then escorted the couple into an exam room.

"Gabriella, what is the purpose of your visit today?" the nurse asked opening Gabriella's chart.

"I took a pregnancy test and it came back positive. I wanted to confirm that I am indeed pregnant and if I am, how far along" Gabriella said.

The nurse wrote down notes in Gabriella's chart and then closed it.

"Alright, please change into this gown. Take everything but your bra off and Dr. Hart will be in shortly" the nurse said handing Gabriella a gown.

"Thank you" Gabriella said taking the gown.

The nurse left the room. Gabriella changed into the gown and sat on the exam table.

"If I am pregnant, when do you want to announce it to our families?" Gabriella asked.

"We could do it this weekend when everyone is home" Troy suggested.

"Okay" Gabriella said.

There was a knock at the door and Dr. Hart came into the room. She had dark brown hair and was probably in her mid-forties.

"Hi guys. What's been going on?" Dr. Hart asked as she sat down on a stool that was in front of the couple.

"I took a pregnancy test and it came back positive. We wanted to come in and just make sure that I am pregnant and if I am, find out how far along I am" Gabriella explained.

"Alright" Dr. Hart said standing up and walking to the sink that held several drawers and cabinets.

Dr. Hart opened a drawer and looked through it and pulled out a box. She took out a pregnancy test and handed it to Gabriella.

"The bathroom is down the hall and to your left. When you finish, hand it to the nurse" Dr. Hart said.

"Okay" Gabriella said.

Gabriella looked at Troy for strength. Troy smiled.

"Good luck honey" Troy said.

Gabriella smiled. She walked out of the exam room and went into the bathroom and took the pregnancy test. After she finished, Gabriella walked out of the bathroom and handed the test to the nurse and went back to the exam room. Troy smiled when he saw Gabriella come back into the room. She sat next to him and took his hand in hers.

"The moment of truth" Troy said.

Gabriella took a deep breath and released it. A couple minutes later there was a knock at the door and Dr. Hart came back into the room.

"Alright the result just came in. Are you guys ready?" Dr. Hart asked.

The couple nodded.

"Gabriella, you are pregnant. Congratulations" Dr. Hart said.

Gabriella's eyes filled with tears. Troy looked at his wife and smiled. He kissed her forehead as she wrapped her arms around him and cried. Troy rubbed her back soothingly. A couple moments later, Gabriella pulled herself together and looked at Dr. Hart.

"I'm so happy for you both. I know that it's been hard" Dr. Hart said.

"Yeah, it's been hell. Thank you" Gabriella said.

"You mentioned that you want to know how far along you are too right?" Dr. Hart confirmed.

"Yes" Gabriella said.

"Alright, let me set up the ultrasound and we will see" Dr. Hart said.

Dr. Hart turned on the ultrasound and waited for it to heat up. Once it was heated, Dr. Hart looked at the couple.

"Troy, can you help Gabriella lie back please?" Dr. Hart asked.

"Of course" Troy said.

Troy helped Gabriella lie down on the exam table. He kissed Gabriella's lips softly.

"I love you" Troy said.

Gabriella smiled.

"I love you too" Gabriella said.

Troy took Gabriella's hand in his and entwined their fingers together. Dr. Hart put a blanket over Gabriella's legs and raised her gown above her bellybutton. She picked up a bottle of gel and looked at Gabriella.

"This might be a little cold" Dr. Hart said.

"Okay" Gabriella said.

Dr. Hart squeezed some of the product onto Gabriella's stomach. She put the bottle down and picked up a wand and started moving the gel across Gabriella's stomach. Dr. Hart looked at the monitor as she moved the gel around Gabriella's stomach. She stopped and pointed to the screen.

"There's your baby guys" Dr. Hart said.

The couple smiled. Gabriella cried all over again. Troy put his free hand on Gabriella's shoulder and kissed her cheek.

"How far along am I?" Gabriella asked wiping her tears away.

Dr. Hart moved the wand around Gabriella's stomach and looked at the monitor.

"I would say that you are about six weeks pregnant" Dr. Hart said.

Gabriella looked at Troy and smiled. Troy smiled back at her and winked.

"I will go print these pictures and be right back" Dr. Hart said.

"Okay" Gabriella said.

Dr. Hart left the room. A couple minutes later, she returned with an envelope that held the sonogram. Dr. Hart wiped the gel off of Gabriella's stomach and looked at her.

"Now, I just want to examine you and make sure everything is alright, okay? Can you spread your legs apart for me?" Dr. Hart asked as she put on a pair of latex gloves and sat at the foot of the bed.

"Yeah" Gabriella said spreading her legs apart.

Troy put his hand on one of Gabriella's legs. He kissed her leg softly. Gabriella squeezed Troy's hand.

"Take a deep breath for me, Gabriella" Dr. Hart said.

Gabriella looked at Troy and took a deep breath. Troy had taken one as well. Dr. Hart examined Gabriella. Troy looked at his wife, who was trying to relax while Dr. Hart conducted her exam.

"Just breathe baby. Deep breaths" Troy said softly.

Gabriella took a deep breath and released it. Dr. Hart threw her gloves away and looked at the couple.

"Everything looks good, Gabriella. I'll see you in a month okay?" Dr. Hart said.

"Alright" Gabriella said.

Dr. Hart left the room. Troy looked at Gabriella, who had sat up.

"In seven and a half months, we will be parents" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded.

"I love you Troy" Gabriella said.

Troy smiled. He leaned in and kissed Gabriella's lips.

"I love you too Brie. So much" Troy said.

Gabriella smiled. She wrapped her arms around her husband. Troy kissed Gabriella's cheek.

"We will talk more about this when I get home okay?" Troy said.

"Okay" Gabriella said.

Gabriella changed back into her clothes and the couple left Dr. Hart's office. Troy and Gabriella walked hand in hand back to Troy's office.

"Alright sweetheart, I have to get back to work. I'll see you when I get home okay?" Troy said.

"Okay. I love you" Gabriella said.

Troy smiled.

"I love you too. Drive safely" Troy said.

"Always" Gabriella said.

The couple released their joined hands and went their separate ways. That night, Troy came home to seeing Gabriella lying down on the couch looking at her bare stomach. He smiled.

"You look like you are in deep thought" Troy said.

Gabriella jumped hearing Troy's voice. She must have zoned out and not realized that he had come home.

"Just thinking" Gabriella said.

Troy walked over to the couch and lifted Gabriella's legs so that they were lying in his lap.

"About the baby?" Troy asked.

Gabriella nodded.

"What about it?" Troy asked.

"I just can't believe that the thing we have dreamed of is finally becoming a reality" Gabriella said.

"Yeah. How do you want to tell our families?" Troy asked.

"Let's just simply tell them. There doesn't need to be a special way that we tell them" Gabriella said.

"Okay, what day do you want to do it?" Troy asked.

"Do you want to do it on Saturday so you can be able to sleep in a little bit and not have to rush home?" Gabriella asked.

"Okay" Troy said.

"When you were in medical school, did you learn about pregnancy?" Gabriella asked changing the subject.

"A little bit. But, not much. There's not a lot of pregnant girls under the age of eighteen that come into a pediatrician's office" Troy said.

"But you have had some?" Gabriella asked.

"A couple. Why?" Troy asked.

"I was just wondering. I didn't know if you had any experience with pregnant women since you have become a doctor" Gabriella said.

"I just have had to recommend them to obstetricians. That's all I could do for them" Troy said.

"Oh" Gabriella said.

"I would trust your doctor's expertise over mine. I am not skilled in pregnancy" Troy said.

"That's what I was trying to figure out" Gabriella said.

"I've had to check babies out that were born with problems before though" Troy said.

"Really?" Gabriella asked.

Troy nodded.

"I had to do it for my residency. That was the first birth that I ever saw" Troy said.

"Were you freaked out?" Gabriella asked.

"At the time, yeah. I could never imagine someone I loved being in that type of pain for hours" Troy said.

"And now? Are you still freaked out?" Gabriela asked.

"No, I got over it. I saw a couple more births after that and it just became normal to me and it didn't bother me" Troy said.

"Would you be our baby's pediatrician or would you want someone else to be?" Gabriella asked.

"I wouldn't want to put my own child's health in my hands like that. Yes, I would love to be, but I don't think that I should" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded. The couple talked about the new addition to their family for the rest of the day. They were so excited to meet their baby that they had been waiting for.


	4. Don't Control Me

A couple days later, the couple was sleeping in bed. It was Saturday, the day that Troy and Gabriella had chosen to announce Gabriella's pregnancy and the start of Troy's weekend. Gabriella snuggled into her husband's chest but then groaned as she threw the bed sheets off of her body and ran to the bathroom. Troy felt the bed shift and opened his eyes and saw Gabriella run into the bathroom. He got up quickly and followed her. Gabriella sat down in front of the toilet and regurgitated the remains of her stomach. Troy rubbed her back soothingly and whispered sweet things to his wife. He felt so helpless when Gabriella had morning sickness. Troy never knew how to make Gabriella feel better even though she insisted that he was doing everything right. After ten minutes of regurgitating, Gabriella moved away from the toilet and groaned.

"Morning sickness doesn't give me weekends off" Gabriella said tiredly.

Troy smiled. He wiped Gabriella's face with a cold washcloth and helped her stand up. Gabriella walked to the sink and brushed her teeth. After she finished, Gabriella walked over to Troy and wrapped her arms around him and closed her eyes. The couple stood in the bathroom in silence.

"Do you want me to make you some tea?" Troy asked.

Gabriella shook her head.

"Can you just hold me please? I need you baby" Gabriella said.

Troy smiled. He lifted Gabriella into his arms. Gabriella wrapped her legs around her husband's waist. Troy kissed Gabriella's shoulder softly.

"I love you" Troy said.

"I love you too" Gabriella mumbled.

"Do you want to go back to bed honey?" Troy asked.

"Wherever you go, I go" Gabriella said.

"Alright, I'm going to bring you back to bed okay?" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded slightly. Troy walked into the master bedroom and carefully placed his wife on their bed. He tucked her in and kissed her forehead softly. Troy then got into bed and Gabriella immediately snuggled into her husband's chest.

"Today was the worst that it's been" Gabriella said talking about morning sickness.

"It will get better with time sweetheart. Don't worry" Troy said.

"Thank god it's Saturday. If it wasn't I don't know if you would have gotten out of the house on time" Gabriella said.

Troy laughed.

"I don't think I would have gotten out either. What time are our families coming over?" Troy asked.

"Six" Gabriella said.

"Okay, are you feeling a little better?" Troy asked.

"A little bit. But you know what would make me feel even better?" Gabriella asked.

"What?" Troy asked.

"A kiss" Gabriella said.

Troy smiled. He leaned over and kissed Gabriella's lips. Gabriella pulled back and smiled.

"Thank you baby" Gabriella said.

"No problem. You have unlimited kiss access. We have talked about this" Troy joked.

Gabriella giggled.

"I'm glad. I wouldn't be able to survive this pregnancy without them" Gabriella said.

Troy moved so he was laying on his stomach in front of Gabriella. He moved the sheets that were covering her body down until he could see Gabriella's stomach. Troy looked up at Gabriella.

"Can I look?" Troy asked.

Gabriella smiled and nodded. Troy moved Gabriella's shirt up, revealing her flat and toned stomach. He kissed the center softly. Gabriella smiled.

"I love you baby" Troy said.

Troy looked up at Gabriella and smiled.

"You are going to be an amazing daddy" Gabriella said.

"I hope so. I know that you are going to be an amazing mom" Troy said.

"How do you know?" Gabriella asked.

"You love everyone that you come in contact with, you care about others and their well-being, and you are just perfect at everything" Troy said.

"I don't think I'm perfect" Gabriella said.

"I do. You are perfect in my eyes Brie and I know that this baby will think so too" Troy said.

Gabriella smiled. She leaned in and kissed Troy's lips.

"I love you" Gabriella said.

"I love you too baby" Troy said.

"What do you think our families will say?" Gabriella asked.

"I'm sure that both of our mothers will start crying. They will be happy for us. They know how hard it was for you to get pregnant" Troy said.

"Yeah" Gabriella said putting her hand on her stomach.

"Come on, you need to get some food inside of you" Troy said.

"But, I don't feel like eating" Gabriella said.

"You are eating for two now, Brie. Even when you don't feel like eating, you have to eat" Troy said.

Gabriella sighed. She got out of bed.

"There are so many rules for pregnant women" Gabriella said.

Troy smiled.

"You just have to be more aware of what you are doing. You have to eat more because you don't know if the baby has had enough. You have to be aware of your stress level because that could lead to high blood pressure which can lead to other problems" Troy said.

Gabriella looked at her husband.

"So basically, I have to walk on eggshells" Gabriella said.

"I guess you can say that" Troy said.

Gabriella sighed. The couple walked downstairs and went into the kitchen.

"What do you want me to make you?" Troy asked.

"I want cereal" Gabriella said.

"Alright, cereal it is" Troy said walking to the pantry.

Troy picked up Gabriella's favorite cereal and put it on the counter. He then went to the refrigerator and pulled out the milk. Gabriella poured her cereal into a bowl and then poured a little milk into it. She then put the milk back into the refrigerator. She ate her cereal silently. Once Gabriella finished, she put her bowl into the dishwasher and walked into the living room to find her husband. Troy smiled when he saw Gabriella come into the room.

"Did you finish?" Troy asked.

"Yeah" Gabriella said.

Troy walked over to Gabriella.

"I'm not trying to control everything that happens Brie, if that's what you are thinking. I'm just looking out for you. That's all" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded.

"I know and I know that you are a doctor, who is supposed to know stuff about babies" Gabriella said.

Troy smiled.

"I just want everything to go smoothly" Troy said.

"I know. But, I'm not your patient babe. I'm your wife, who is having your first child. I want us to go through this together as a couple. Yes, there are some things that I may want your advice on, but you aren't delivering our baby" Gabriella said.

"I agree. We are going to do this together. You always know that you can ask me any medical question that you want" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded. She leaned in and kissed Troy's lips softly. That night, the couple's families arrived at the house and were very confused of why they were being gathered.

"Why did you call us all here Troy?" Jack asked his son.

Troy looked at his wife, who smiled at him.

"We have an announcement to make. Gabriella's pregnant with our first child" Troy said.

The families both cheered and screamed in happiness. They were so happy for the couple. They knew that this baby was something that they had wanted for a while. A couple days later, Gabriella walked out of the bathroom tiredly. She got back into bed after throwing up for a half an hour. Troy walked into the bedroom and sat on the edge of the bed.

"Baby, how are you feeling?" Troy asked.

"I'm not going to go to work today. I don't feel good" Gabriella said.

Troy kissed Gabriella's head softly.

"Do you want me to call in for you before I leave?" Troy asked.

"Yes please" Gabriella said.

"Alright honey. Can I get you anything?" Troy asked.

"No, but thanks" Gabriella said.

"No problem. Just rest. I'll try to come home early" Troy said.

"Okay" Gabriella said.

Troy kissed Gabriella's lips softly and put his hand on her stomach.

"I love you. Call me if you need anything" Troy said.

"I love you too" Gabriella said.

Troy left the house. Gabriella fell asleep hoping that her stomach would settle. A couple hours later, she opened her eyes and stretched out her arms. Gabriella got up and walked into the bathroom. Her bladder felt like it was going to explode. After she relieved herself, Gabriella walked out of the bathroom and went to her closet and picked out an outfit. She took her shirt off and turned to her side and saw that her body was starting to change. Gabriella put her hand on her stomach and smiled. She continued to get dressed and walked downstairs to the kitchen to make herself food. That night, Troy opened the front door and saw Gabriella looking at herself from the side in the wall mirror that was in the hallway. He smiled.

"Hey baby. Feeling better?" Troy asked.

"A little bit. Look" Gabriella said looking at herself in the mirror.

Troy looked in the mirror and was about to tell his wife that he didn't see anything, but then he noticed a tiny bulge in Gabriella's stomach. He smiled.

"That's our baby" Troy said.

Gabriella turned away from the mirror and looked at her husband and nodded.

"Yeah" Gabriella said.

Troy put his keys and wallet on the counter and walked to where Gabriella was standing. He kneeled down in front of his wife and looked at her, silently asking for permission to look at her expanding stomach. Troy lifted Gabriella's shirt up and saw the tiny bulge and kissed it lovingly. Gabriella smiled and brought Troy's head up to hers and kissed his lips.

"I love you" Gabriella said.

"I love you too sweetheart. How did today go?" Troy asked.

"I threw up while you were gone" Gabriella said.

Troy sighed.

"Why didn't you call me?" Troy asked.

"I didn't want to bother you at work" Gabriella said.

"Baby, this is your health we are talking about. Don't worry about bothering me. You aren't" Troy said.

"Sorry" Gabriella said.

Troy kissed Gabriella's forehead softly.

"I'm not mad Brie. I just want to know if you aren't feeling well or if you have morning sickness and I'm not here" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded putting her hand on her stomach.

"I just don't want to have to keep calling you every five seconds or showing up at your office everyday" Gabriella said.

"I know you don't baby. But I want to know if you aren't feeling well, so I can help you or have someone come over while I'm at work to help you and make sure that you are okay" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded. Troy took a deep breath and released it.

"How was your day other than morning sickness?" Troy asked.

"Boring. I had to set up the court date for one of my clients" Gabriella said.

"At least that kept you busy. Are you going to go to the office tomorrow?" Troy asked.

"I have to. I missed today and I will miss a month when the baby comes" Gabriella said.

"Who is going to cover for you when you go on maternity leave?" Troy asked.

"I don't know. The office sets that up. I don't" Gabriella said.

"Oh" Troy said.

Troy and Gabriella made dinner and sat down at the table.

"Did you have a lot of patients today?" Gabriella asked.

"Yeah. It's flu season so all the parents are trying to get their child vaccinated and protected" Troy said.

"So that means a lot of screaming kids?" Gabriella asked.

Troy nodded.

"And high pitched too" Troy added.

Gabriella smiled.

"That will be us in the near future" Gabriella said.

"Yeah, but thankfully I won't be the one administering the vaccine" Troy said.

"Yeah" Gabriella said.

The phone rang. Troy picked it up, without looking at the caller ID.

"Hello?" Troy answered.

"Hi Troy" Lucille said.

"Hi mom, how are you?" Troy asked as the couple walked into the living room and sat down.

"Fine, how are you? How's Gabi feeling?" Lucille asked.

"She's okay. Morning sickness is killing her, but she's coping with it well" Troy said looking at his wife.

"Tell her to drink a lot of fluids. That always helped me when I had morning sickness" Lucille said.

"I will" Troy said.

Troy talked to his mother for a little while longer until she hung up. He looked at Gabriella and smiled.

"Mom wanted to know how you were feeling" Troy said.

"Oh. That was nice of her to call and ask" Gabriella said.

"Yeah, she said to drink a lot of fluids. It helps with morning sickness" Troy said.

"I'll try it and see. I think I'm going to go to bed. I'm exhausted" Gabriella said.

"Okay baby girl. I'll be up in a little while" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded. She leaned over and kissed Troy's lips.

"I love you" Gabriella said.

"I love you too" Troy said.

Gabriella got up and walked upstairs. An hour later, Troy walked upstairs and saw the bathroom door closed and light coming through the bottom. He walked over to the door and knocked politely.

"Brie, are you okay?" Troy asked.

Gabriella just cried.

"Troy" Gabriella cried.

Troy opened the door and saw Gabriella sitting in front of the toilet, throwing up. He sighed and walked over to his wife and sat down next to her. Troy rubbed his wife's back soothingly.

"It's okay baby, just relax" Troy said.

Ten minutes later, Gabriella moved away from the toilet and into Troy's arms. Troy kissed Gabriella's head softly.

"Are you okay?" Troy asked.

"Just hold me" Gabriella said.

Troy stood up with Gabriella in his arms. He walked into the bedroom and set her on their bed and tucked her in. Troy sat on the edge of the bed.

"You okay?" Troy asked.

"Why won't it stop?" Gabriella cried.

"Sweetheart, it won't stop until you hit four months. Try to go back to sleep okay?" Troy said.

"I can't fall asleep now" Gabriella said.

Troy kissed Gabriella's forehead.

"Try for me, please" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded. Troy got into bed and Gabriella snuggled into his chest. He gently stroked Gabriella's back and started to feel her body start to relax. Troy looked down at his chest and saw his wife still awake. He kissed her head softly. Twenty minutes later, Troy felt Gabriella's body get heavier. He looked down again and saw his wife finally asleep. Troy smiled. He then fell asleep himself. The next morning, Troy's alarm went off signaling that he needed to wake up and get ready for work. He tried to get out of bed but Gabriella had a firm grasp on him. Troy kissed Gabriella's cheek softly.

"Baby, I need to get ready for work" Troy said.

"Don't go please. Just stay" Gabriella said.

Gabriella opened her eyes and looked at her husband. Troy looked at Gabriella and sighed. He didn't want to leave her especially after her throwing up last night.

"I need to call Pat" Troy said.

"Okay" Gabriella mumbled.

Troy picked up his phone and called his office and explained to Pat what was going on and that all of his patient's for that day needed to be rescheduled. He hung up the phone and looked at Gabriella, who suddenly sat up. She got out of bed and groaned as she walked into the bathroom. Troy got out of bed and followed her. Gabriella sat in front of the toilet and regurgitated the remains of her stomach. Troy held his wife's hair back and rubbed her back soothingly. Once she finished, Gabriella moved away from the toilet. Troy helped Gabriella stand up. Gabriella walked over to the sink and brushed her teeth. After she finished, Gabriella looked at Troy tiredly.

"Come on, let's get you back into bed baby" Troy said.

The couple walked back into the bedroom. Gabriella got back into bed and looked at her husband.

"Are you upset that you didn't go to the office today?" Gabriella asked thinking that she was being a high maintenance pregnant woman.

Troy smiled.

"No. I'm not honey. If you need me to be here, I will. You know that. After what happened last night, I didn't want to leave you" Troy said.

"Are you sure?" Gabriella asked.

"Positive. Your health is my number one priority. Yes, my patients are a priority, but they aren't you" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded.

"I know that you probably don't want to eat anything, but you should. What would you like?" Troy asked.

"Toast please" Gabriella said.

"Alright. I'll see what I can do" Troy said.

"Thank you baby" Gabriella said.

"No problem" Troy said.

Troy walked downstairs. He would do anything for his wife. Troy walked into the kitchen and made Gabriella's toast and brought it upstairs and smiled when he saw her sleeping soundly. He put the plate that held her toast and placed it on the nightstand. Troy kissed Gabriella's head softly. He loved her with every ounce of his being.


	5. Making The Time

A couple weeks later, Gabriella was two and a half months pregnant. She had seen some physical changes in her body in the past two weeks. Gabriella's feet were starting to swell, her morning sickness started to get worse, and her body started to become fuller. One day, Troy opened the front door and walked into the house.

"Baby, I'm home" Troy said.

He walked into the living room and smiled when he saw his wife sitting on the floor with her laptop, manila envelopes that contained different cases that she was working on spread out everywhere, and a bowl of strawberries that she was currently devouring. Troy leaned against the door frame and watched Gabriella look through the papers that were on the floor.

"I'm assuming you had a good day today" Troy said.

Gabriella jumped and turned around.

"I didn't hear you come in. How was work today?" Gabriella asked.

"It was good. How was your day?" Troy asked.

"I received a couple more cases today" Gabriella said.

"That's great Brie" Troy said.

Gabriella smiled. Troy walked around Gabriella's work set up and sat down on the couch. Gabriella leaned over and kissed his lips.

"How are you feeling today?" Troy asked.

"A lot better. But I hope this feeling isn't a short term thing" Gabriella said.

"Did you throw up again?" Troy asked.

"No" Gabriella said as she wrote notes down in a notebook.

"When did you get home?" Troy asked.

"Around three. I took a nap when I got home and then started working on all of this stuff" Gabriella said.

"Oh" Troy said.

Gabriella sighed and closed her laptop and put her manila envelopes on top of it. She stood up and sat down on the couch and snuggled into Troy's chest.

"I missed you" Gabriella said.

Troy smiled. He put his a finger under Gabriella's chin and brought her head up to meet his. Troy kissed Gabriella's lips passionately. Gabriella kissed him back and slowly pulled away. She wrapped her arms around Troy and kissed his shoulder softly.

"I missed you too baby. But you saw me this morning" Troy said putting his hand on his wife's lower back, massaging it gently.

"I know. I just have to be near you right now" Gabriella said.

"Did something happen?" Troy asked.

"No, I just need you. The past couple weeks I have been working non-stop and so have you. When I found out I was pregnant, we were home almost every day for two weeks" Gabriella said.

Troy smiled. He kissed Gabriella's cheek softly.

"I know. We just need to make time. We have the weekends to be with each other all day and every day" Troy said moving a piece of hair out of his wife's face.

"Yeah" Gabriella said.

"I'll try to get off early this week so I will be home by the time you get home from the office" Troy said.

"But then you have to go back to your normal hours the week after that" Gabriella said looking down at her hands.

Troy took a deep breath. He took Gabriella's hands in his and kissed her knuckles.

"Sweetheart, look at me" Troy said.

Gabriella looked at her husband.

"I know that my hours suck. But I have to work and so do you. I promise that when we both come home from work, we will spend as much time as we can together okay?" Troy said putting his hand on Gabriella's slightly swollen stomach.

Gabriella nodded.

"I love you" Troy said.

"I love you too. I'm just a little clingy. It's probably from the stupid hormone changes" Gabriella said.

Troy laughed. He leaned in and kissed Gabriella's lips softly.

"I think it's cute" Troy said.

Gabriella smiled slightly.

"How do your new cases look? Are they at least somewhat interesting?" Troy asked.

"My cases are always interesting babe. You just don't see what I see. They will be challenging though. That's for sure" Gabriella said.

"Are you up for the challenge?" Troy joked.

"Hell yeah" Gabriella said.

Troy threw his head back and laughed. Gabriella always said the cutest things and that's one of the reasons why he loved her so much.

"You my dear, are crazy. I think our child has done something to your mind" Troy said kissing Gabriella's cheek.

"Well, it's true! I want a challenging case to work with" Gabriella said.

"I know. What are we doing for dinner?" Troy asked.

"I didn't think that far ahead so I have no idea" Gabriella said.

"Do you want something specific?" Troy asked.

"Hmm" Gabriella said as she thought about what she wanted to eat.

Troy smiled.

"Chinese please" Gabriella said coming to a decision.

"Do you want anything in particular or can I just order whatever?" Troy asked.

Gabriella told Troy what she wanted and he went to a Chinese restaurant and picked it up and brought it home. Troy opened the door and walked into the house.

"Your Chinese food has arrived" Troy said.

Gabriella smiled and stood up. She walked over to her husband and kissed his lips.

"Thanks honey" Gabriella said.

"No problem. Hey, I just realized that this is your first craving in your pregnancy" Troy said.

"I'm sure there are going to be more cravings to come in the future" Gabriella said taking the bag from Troy's hands.

The couple sat down at the table and ate their food. After they finished, Gabriella put her hand on her stomach and smiled.

"That was so good" Gabriella said.

Troy smiled.

"Good" Troy said.

"I think I'm going to go to bed. I'm exhausted" Gabriella said as she put her plate in the dishwasher.

"Are you feeling okay?" Troy asked.

"Yeah, I just have been working on my cases all day long" Gabriella said.

"Alright baby" Troy said kissing Gabriella's lips.

Gabriella wrapped her arms around Troy's neck and leaned in and kissed his lips. Troy put his hand on the small of Gabriella's back and kissed her and pulled back. He smiled.

"I love you" Gabriella said.

"I love you too. Get some sleep okay? Call me if you need anything" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded. Troy released Gabriella from his arms and watched her walk upstairs. He smiled. Gabriella went into the bedroom and pulled out a pair of Troy's boxers and one of his wife beaters. She changed out of her clothes and into Troy's and got into bed. But she felt that something was missing. Gabriella got out of bed and walked out of the room and went downstairs to the living room and saw her husband watching television. She walked over to the couch and snuggled into his chest.

"I thought you were going to bed" Troy said.

"I was going to until I couldn't fall asleep because you were down here" Gabriella explained.

Troy smiled. He turned off the television and stood up. Troy put his hands out and Gabriella took them. He helped her to a standing position. The couple walked upstairs and went into their bedroom. Troy took off his shirt and jeans. He and Gabriella got into bed. Gabriella immediately snuggled as close as she could into Troy's chest.

"Better?" Troy asked.

"Much. Thank you baby" Gabriella said.

"No problem, sweetheart. Go to sleep. The baby needs it" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded tiredly. The couple fell asleep. The next morning, Gabriella woke up and groaned. She got up and walked to the bathroom and regurgitated everything that she had consumed the day before. After she finished, Gabriella walked to the sink and brushed her teeth. She then walked back into the bedroom and got into bed. Troy opened his eyes when he felt Gabriella snuggling into his chest.

"Are you okay?" Troy asked.

Gabriella nodded.

"It wasn't as bad today" Gabriella said.

"That's good. Do you feel a little better today?" Troy asked.

"Yeah, it's just annoying that morning sickness just comes whenever it wants to" Gabriella said.

Troy kissed Gabriella's forehead lovingly.

"I have to get up and get ready for work" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded.

"Me too" Gabriella said.

The couple got out of bed and got ready for work. They both met downstairs in the kitchen.

"I have to get to the office baby. Are you staying late today?" Gabriella asked.

"I don't know yet. Depends on how many patients I have. I'll call you this afternoon and let you know" Troy said.

"Alright. I love you" Gabriella said kissing her husband's lips.

"I love you too sweetheart. You are in a really good mood today" Troy said.

Gabriella smiled.

"I just feel a lot better" Gabriella said.

"That's good. You better start driving or you are going to be late" Troy said.

"Okay" Gabriella said kissing Troy's lips one last time.

Gabriella left the house and Troy left soon after. A couple hours later, Gabriella was sitting in her office working on her new cases when her assistant, Lisa knocked on the door.

"Gabi, you have a visitor" Lisa said.

Gabriella looked at Lisa confused because she didn't have any more meetings until after her lunch break.

"Send them in" Gabriella said.

"Okay" Lisa said.

A few moments later, there was a knock on the door.

"Come in" Gabriella said as she looked up from the files that she was looking at.

Troy opened the door and peeked into the office. Gabriella smiled.

"What are you doing here baby?" Gabriella asked.

"I can't visit my favorite lawyer at work and take her to lunch because I know it's her lunch break in about five minutes?" Troy asked walking into the office and closing the door behind him.

Gabriella smiled.

"That's so sweet. You are off early today" Gabriella said.

"Yeah, I finished early today" Troy said.

"Let me go tell Lisa I'm going to lunch and we can leave" Gabriella said getting up from her desk.

"Alright" Troy said.

Gabriella walked out of her office and told her assistant that she was leaving. The couple then left Gabriella's office and started walking down the street to a restaurant that they had always gone to when Troy would visit. As they walked, the couple had their fingers entwined.

"How are you feeling?" Troy asked.

"Fine. But, I'm starting to gain more weight" Gabriella said.

"Where? I don't see any change" Troy said.

Gabriella gave Troy a look basically telling him to be honest.

"My waist is getting fat" Gabriella said.

Troy stopped walking and made Gabriella stand still. He looked at Gabriella's body and he did see some new weight gain. Troy looked at his wife and smiled.

"You knew it was going to happen at some point" Troy said.

"Yeah, but I didn't know what to expect" Gabriella said.

The couple continued walking and arrived at the restaurant. They walked in and were seated immediately.

"I have a doctor's appointment next week. Can you make it?" Gabriella asked.

"I will clear that hour of my schedule" Troy said.

"You don't have to clear the whole hour" Gabriella said.

"Yes I do. I want to be at your appointment with you. I want to know what's going on" Troy said.

Gabriella looked at her husband.

"Your patients-" Gabriella started but was then interrupted.

"My patients will be fine. I will ask Pat not to schedule anything within that hour" Troy said.

Gabriella sighed.

"Sometimes I don't understand what I did to deserve a man like you" Gabriella said.

Troy smiled.

"You just had to be yourself. That's what I fell in love with and don't even get me started on that smile" Troy joked.

Gabriella smiled.

"I love you" Gabriella said.

"I love you too" Troy said.

The couple ordered their food and then turned back to each other.

"Everyone at the office is starting to notice" Gabriella said talking about her bump.

Troy smiled.

"Is that a good thing or a bad thing?" Troy asked.

"It's good. But everyone has been asking me if I am going to leave the firm after the baby comes" Gabriella said.

"What did you tell them?" Troy asked.

"I said no. But, it just makes me feel weird that people would ask that question. I'm having a baby not starting a different life path" Gabriella said.

"Sometimes women do leave their jobs after they have a baby. That's probably why everyone is asking you questions. Don't feel weird about it Brie. Just as long as you tell your boss that you are coming back, you will be fine" Troy said.

Gabriella sighed. The couple's food arrived and they started eating.

"Are you going to go home after I go back to work?" Gabriella asked as she ate.

"I think I'm going to stop by Chad's and hang out for a little bit" Troy said.

"Okay. I'll be home around four" Gabriella said.

"Alright" Troy said.

The couple ate their food. After they finished, the couple paid their bill and left the restaurant. Troy and Gabriella walked back to Gabriella's office.

"I have to go back to work. I'll see you at home" Gabriella said.

"Okay baby. I love you" Troy said kissing Gabriella's lips.

"I love you too" Gabriella said.

Gabriella went back to work. A couple hours later, Gabriella looked at the clock and saw that it was three-thirty. She got all of her stuff together and left the office. Gabriella drove home and parked her car and walked into the house.

"Troy? I'm home" Gabriella said.

Troy came into the hallway, where he saw Gabriella putting her purse and briefcase down.

"How was the rest of your day?" Troy asked.

"Tiring and my feet hurt" Gabriella said.

"Go upstairs and take a nice warm bath and I will massage your feet later" Troy said kissing Gabriella's lips softly.

"Okay" Gabriella said.

That night, the couple relaxed around the house. Gabriella's pregnancy was underway and she was definitely feeling it.


	6. Accidents Happen

A couple weeks later, Gabriella was walking to her car after a long day at work. She got into the car and started driving. Gabriella was driving on a street that was probably three blocks away from her home when a car slammed into the back of hers, causing her to be pushed into the car in front of her. The airbags exploded and Gabriella was left unconscious.

(Troy's POV)

I sat down in my chair in my office when the phone rang. I closed the door and picked up the phone.

"Dr. Bolton" Troy answered.

"Dr. Bolton, this is Sam, a paramedic from Albuquerque General Hospital. Your wife Gabriella has been involved in a car accident" Sam said.

Troy started to panic.

"Is she alert?" Troy asked.

"She is unconscious. We are going to transport her to the hospital" Sam said.

"Can you wait to transport her until I get there?" Troy asked.

"If you hurry" Sam said.

"I'll be there in five minutes" Troy said getting his stuff together.

Sam gave Troy the location of where the crash occurred and hung up. Troy ran out of his office and went to his car. He drove as fast as he could to the crash site and saw an ambulance and a police car. Troy parked his car and jogged over to the paramedics.

"I got a call about my wife Gabriella" Troy said.

"We are going to transport her" Sam said.

"Okay, I will follow in my car" Troy said looking at his unconscious wife being put on a stretcher and going into the ambulance.

Troy drove to the hospital and parked his car in the emergency room parking lot. He took a deep breath. Troy's heart felt like it was going to be ripped out of chest because he was so worried about Gabriella. He walked into the emergency room and went to the reception desk.

"Hi, my wife Gabriella was brought in" Troy said.

The receptionist looked at Troy.

"How are you related to the patient?" the receptionist asked.

"I'm her husband" Troy said.

"Okay. She's in room 1316" the receptionist said looking at her computer.

"Thank you" Troy said.

Troy walked to the elevator and got into it. He pressed the floor button that he needed to go to. As the elevator rose to the floor, Troy silently prayed for his wife and unborn child. The elevator doors opened and Troy opened his eyes. He walked to Gabriella's hospital room and took a deep breath. Troy walked into the room and saw Gabriella, whose face was scratched and bruised and her eyes closed. There were monitors surrounding her that were measuring the baby's heartbeat. Troy sat down in a chair that was next to the bed.

"Baby?" Troy called.

There was no response. Troy sighed and took Gabriella's hand in his. Troy felt Gabriella squeeze his hand. He sat up straight and saw her eyes open.

"Brie" Troy said breathlessly.

Gabriella looked at Troy and tears ran down her face. She choked out a sob. Troy kissed Gabriella's forehead softly.

"I'm sorry" Gabriella said.

"Hey, look at me honey" Troy said.

Gabriella looked at her husband.

"You didn't do anything wrong. It wasn't your fault" Troy said.

Gabriella put her hand on her bump and cried harder.

"Gabs, the baby is fine" Troy said.

"How do you know?" Gabriella cried.

"Because that is the baby's heartbeat" Troy said pointing to the monitor.

Gabriella sniffled. Troy kissed Gabriella's cheek softly.

"Really?" Gabriella asked.

Troy smiled and nodded.

"If the baby wasn't okay, the monitor would be silent" Troy said.

Gabriella took a deep breath and released it.

"How are you feeling?" Troy asked.

"Shaken up. Is Dr. Hart going to come?" Gabriella asked.

"I think so. If not, the nurse will do an ultrasound and make sure everything is okay" Troy said.

"I'm never leaving the house again" Gabriella said.

Troy smiled.

"Sweetheart, you just need to be careful" Troy said.

"The car that was in back of me, pushed me into the car that was in front of me" Gabriella said as tears ran down her cheeks.

"I know baby, I know. But you are okay and so is our baby. That's all that matters now" Troy said wiping her tears away.

Gabriella nodded.

"I love you" Gabriella said.

"I love you too Brie" Troy said.

There was a knock on the door and a nurse, who had dark brown hair and probably in her late twenties came into the room.

"Hi Gabriella. I am going to do an ultrasound and examine you to make sure everything is okay" the nurse said.

"Alright" Gabriella said.

The nurse did an ultrasound and her exam and wrote notes in Gabriella's file.

"Everything looks fine. I would take it easy for a couple days and I will let Dr. Hart know what happened" the nurse said.

"Okay" Gabriella said.

Gabriella signed her discharge papers and was free to go. She got dressed and came out of the bathroom and ran into her husband's arms. Troy kissed Gabriella's lips softly.

"Come on, let's get out here" Troy said taking her hand.

The couple left the hospital and got into the car. Troy looked at his wife.

"You okay?" Troy asked.

"Yeah, I'm just freaked out" Gabriella said.

Troy entwined his fingers with Gabriella's and started driving home. He drove home and parked his car. The couple got out of the car and went into the house. Gabriella walked upstairs and went into the bedroom and got into bed. She sighed and released the tears that she had been holding in. Troy walked upstairs and into the bedroom slowly when he saw tears running down Gabriella's face. He climbed into bed and Gabriella buried her face into Troy's neck. Troy rubbed his wife's back soothingly.

"You are safe and everything is okay baby" Troy said.

"It just happened really fast" Gabriella said.

"I know. But you couldn't have prevented it from happening Brie" Troy said.

"I know. But if we had lost the baby-" Gabriella started.

"There's nothing you could have done babe. If we lost the baby, it wouldn't have been your fault" Troy said.

Gabriella sighed.

"Why don't you get some rest like the nurse told you?" Troy suggested.

Gabriella nodded.

"I love you. I'll be downstairs if you need me okay?" Troy said.

"I love you too" Gabriella said.

Troy kissed Gabriella's cheek softly and walked downstairs. He picked up his phone and dialed his mother's number.

"Hello?" Lucille answered.

"Hi mom" Troy said.

"Hi Troy, how's it going? How's Gabi?" Lucille asked.

"Brie was in a car accident today" Troy said.

"Is she okay?" Lucille asked.

"Yeah, she's okay and the baby is fine. She is just shaken up" Troy said.

"Did she get checked out?" Lucille asked.

"Yeah, when she crashed she was knocked unconscious and was brought to the hospital" Troy said.

"Okay. If you need me to do anything, let me know" Lucille said.

"Thanks mom. I just wanted to tell you what happened" Troy said.

Lucille and Troy talked for a little while longer until they both hung up. Troy walked upstairs and saw Gabriella getting out of bed.

"How was your nap?" Troy asked.

Gabriella just walked into her husband's arms and wrapped her arms around him. Troy kissed Gabriella's head softly.

"I told my mom what happened" Troy said.

"What did she say?" Gabriella asked.

"She's worried about you" Troy said.

"I think everyone is right now" Gabriella said.

"Come on, I'll run you a bath so you can relax" Troy said.

"Okay" Gabriella said.

The couple walked upstairs. Troy walked into the bathroom and turned on the warm water and squeezed some of Gabriella's favorite soap into it.

"Baby, your bath is ready" Troy said.

Gabriella walked into the bathroom.

"Thank you baby" Gabriella said.

"No problem" Troy said.

Troy left the room and closed the door behind him. Gabriella stripped down and got into the warm water. She sighed. Gabriella put her hand on her expanding bump.

"I can't wait to meet you sweetheart" Gabriella said.

An hour later, Gabriella drained the water from the tub and changed into some comfortable sweats. She then walked downstairs and saw Troy in the kitchen. Gabriella walked into the room and wrapped her arms around her husband.

"How was your bath?" Troy asked.

"Good. I needed it. Thank you" Gabriella said.

Troy turned around so he was looking at Gabriella. He kissed Gabriella's lips softly. Gabriella put her hand on Troy's cheek and kissed him passionately. Troy carefully lifted Gabriella into his arms and set her on the counter, without breaking the kiss. Gabriella ran her fingers through Troy's hair and pulled back slowly. She looked at her husband. Troy put his hand on Gabriella's expanding bump and looked up at Gabriella.

"I love you" Gabriella said.

Troy smiled.

"I love you too" Troy said.

Gabriella leaned in and kissed Troy with as much passion as she could. Troy moved his hand to the bottom of Gabriella's shirt and started unbuttoning it. Gabriella broke the kiss and looked at her husband.

"Upstairs" Gabriella said simply.

"Are you sure?" Troy asked.

Gabriella nodded.

"If you feel uncomfortable at all, and I mean it Brie, tell me. I don't want to cause any problems with the baby" Troy said.

"I will. I promise" Gabriella said.

"Okay" Troy said.

Gabriella kissed Troy slowly, but passionately. He lifted Gabriella into his arms and she wrapped her arms around his neck and her legs as close as she could get them around his waist. Troy walked upstairs with Gabriella in his arms and set her down on the bed gently. He kissed Gabriella's lips softly and removed her shirt slowly. Troy leaned down and kissed her expanding bump.

"Love you baby" Troy whispered as he kissed Gabriella's bump one last time.

Gabriella smiled. Troy leaned down and kissed Gabriella's neck softly. She moaned and tightened her grip on Troy when she felt him kiss her neck again. Troy unhooked Gabriella's bra and felt her flinch. He backed away and looked at his wife.

"I'm fine. Just a sensitive spot" Gabriella said.

Troy returned to what he was doing. He made a line of kisses from Gabriella's neck to her bellybutton, which he kissed lovingly. Troy then put his hands on Gabriella's hips. He put his finger under the hem of Gabriella's underwear and slowly pulled them down. Troy looked up at Gabriella, making sure that she was okay. Gabriella gave him a look of confirmation and looked down once again. He leaned forward and entered her gently. Gabriella moaned loudly as she felt her husband enter her. Troy looked at Gabriella and entwined his fingers with hers.

"Feeling okay?" Troy asked.

Gabriella nodded. Troy moved further into Gabriella and the gentle thrusts seemed to not bother Gabriella at all.

"Troy" Gabriella moaned.

"Yes baby?" Troy asked.

"Faster please" Gabriella said.

Troy increased his speed slightly. The couple made love for hours. A couple hours later, the couple was taking a nap. Gabriella woke up and remembered the event that had occurred and felt throbbing between her thighs. Troy opened his eyes and looked at Gabriella and smiled.

"Did I hurt you?" Troy asked.

Gabriella smiled and leaned in and kissed Troy's lips.

"I'm a little sore, but I'm okay" Gabriella said.

Troy smiled.

"You sure?" Troy asked.

"Troy" Gabriella said seriously.

"Okay, okay. I'm just trying to be careful, that's all" Troy said.

"I know you are" Gabriella said.

Troy kissed Gabriella's swollen lips. A couple weeks later, Gabriella was four months pregnant. Her bump had grown a lot in the past couple of weeks. The couple was driving to Gabriella's four month check-up. Troy pulled into the parking lot and parked his car. He walked to Gabriella's side and helped her get out. The couple walked into the office hand-in-hand. Gabriella signed herself in. She then sat down next to Troy.

"I wonder what she is going to say about the accident" Gabriella said.

Troy entwined his fingers with Gabriella's and kissed hers softly.

"I don't know. We just have to make sure you are doing things extra carefully" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded. She put her hand on her bump. A nurse came into the waiting room with a file.

"Gabriella?" the nurse called.

Troy stood up and offered Gabriella his hands. She gladly took them and Troy helped her stand up. The couple then followed the nurse into a room where Gabriella's vitals were taken. They then were escorted into an exam room.

"Gabriella, please change into this gown and Dr. Hart will be in shortly" the nurse said handing Gabriella a gown.

The nurse left the room. Gabriella changed into the gown and sat on the exam table. Troy looked at his wife and smiled.

"You feeling okay?" Troy asked.

"Yeah, just anxious" Gabriella said.

Troy smiled slightly. He stood up and leaned in and kissed Gabriella's lips.

"Everything will be fine. She will probably talk to us about being careful with stuff like driving and daily things that you are used to doing" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded. There was a knock on the door and Dr. Hart came into the room and smiled.

"Hi guys. How's everything going? I heard you had a hospital visit Gabriella" Dr. Hart said.

"Yeah, I did. I got into a car accident" Gabriella said.

"Are you okay?" Dr. Hart asked.

"I'm a little shaken up but I'm okay" Gabriella said.

"The report that I got from the hospital said that the baby was okay. You need to be extra careful when doing anything Gabriella. I know that you want to do everything, but for the sake of your baby, you need to let Troy do some things for you" Dr. Hart said.

The couple nodded.

"So are you saying that I can't drive?" Gabriella asked.

"I think that you shouldn't. Troy can drop you off at work and pick you up" Dr. Hart said.

Gabriella nodded. Troy looked at Gabriella.

"It's for the best Brie. We need to keep both of you safe" Troy said.

"Okay, but what if you have to work late?" Gabriella asked.

"Your mom or mine can pick you up and bring you home" Troy said.

Gabriella sighed.

"Alright" Gabriella said.

Troy smiled slightly.

"Let's see how the baby is doing today" Dr. Hart said.

"Okay" Gabriella lying down on the exam table.

Dr. Hart put a blanket over Gabriella's legs and raised her gown above bump. She then picked up a bottle of gel and squeezed some of the product onto Gabriella's stomach. Dr. Hart then picked up a wand and moved it around Gabriella's stomach and looked at the monitor.

"There's your baby" Dr. Hart said.

The couple smiled.

"Would you like to know the sex?" Dr. Hart asked.

"You can tell?" Gabriella asked.

"Yes" Dr. Hart said.

Gabriella looked at Troy and smiled. Troy smiled back and nodded.

"We want to know" Gabriella said.

Dr. Hart moved the wand around Gabriella's stomach again and then stopped.

"You are having a boy! Congratulations" Dr. Hart said.

Gabriella smiled and looked at Troy. Troy kissed his wife's head softly.

"I love you" Troy said.

"I love you too" Gabriella said.

"Let me go print these pictures for you and I will be back" Dr. Hart said as she wiped the gel off of Gabriella's stomach.

"Okay" Gabriella said.

Dr. Hart left the room. Gabriella looked at her husband and smiled.

"Are you excited to be having a boy?" Gabriella asked.

"I think I'm more in shock than anything. I'm really happy but it doesn't feel real" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded.

"In five months, our son will be here" Gabriella said putting her hand on her expanding stomach.

Troy nodded. There was a knock on the door and Dr. Hart came back into the room.

"Alright Gabriella, I just need to examine you and you will be free to go" Dr. Hart said putting on a pair of fresh gloves.

Gabriella spread her legs apart and took a deep breath. Troy took Gabriella's hand in his.

"Take a deep breath in for me Gabriella" Dr. Hart said.

The couple both took a deep breath. Gabriella closed her eyes and took deep breaths. Dr. Hart examined Gabriella.

"Just breathe honey" Troy said kissing Gabriella's head softly.

Gabriella continued to take deep breaths. Dr. Hart came back up and smiled.

"Everything looks fine. Just remember, no driving. Let Troy drive" Dr. Hart said as she took off her gloves and threw them away and washed her hands.

Gabriella nodded.

"I will see you in a month" Dr. Hart said.

Dr. Hart left the room. Troy helped Gabriella sit up. He kissed her head softly.

"You okay?" Troy asked.

"I think so" Gabriella said.

"You think? What's on your mind beautiful?" Troy asked as he helped Gabriella get off the exam table.

"I can't drive. That means I can't go to work" Gabriella said.

"I will take you to work and pick you up. If I can't, then our parents, Taylor, Chad, or someone will have to" Troy explained.

Gabriella sighed.

"I'm going to be a burden on everyone" Gabriella said.

"No you won't baby. We need to protect him and keep him safe. To do that, we need to keep you safe. I know you aren't going to like it, but it's for the best" Troy said.

Gabriella sighed again and looked down at her bump. Troy kissed Gabriella's head softly.

"Come on, let's get you home" Troy said.

The couple left the office and drove home. Once the couple got home, Gabriella walked upstairs and went into the bedroom and lied down on the bed. She fell asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow.


	7. I'm Always Going To Worry

The next morning, Gabriella woke up and got out of bed and walked into the bathroom and took a shower. Twenty minutes later, she emerged from the bathroom and found Troy getting dressed for work.

"You can take me to the office today?" Gabriella asked.

"Yeah" Troy said.

"Okay" Gabriella said.

"How's baby boy doing today?" Troy asked putting his hand on Gabriella's bump.

"He's fine. He's killing my back but other than that, he's fine. When do you want to tell our families?" Gabriella asked.

"We could have them over for dinner sometime this week" Troy suggested.

"That sounds like a good idea" Gabriella said.

Troy leaned in and kissed Gabriella's lips softly.

"Good morning" Troy said.

"Good morning" Gabriella said.

"How are you feeling today?" Troy asked.

"Fine" Gabriella said.

"Are you ready to go?" Troy asked.

Gabriella nodded. Troy took Gabriella's hand and entwined their fingers together and the couple walked downstairs. The couple left the house and got into the car. Troy drove to Gabriella's office and parked his car in front of the entrance.

"Do you want me to walk you upstairs?" Troy asked.

"No baby. I'm fine. Thanks though" Gabriella said.

"Alright. Have a good day. Call me if you get off early" Troy said.

"I will" Gabriella said.

"I love you" Troy said.

"I love you too" Gabriella said kissing Troy's lips.

Gabriella got out of the car and walked into her office building. Troy drove to his office and parked his car and walked in. A couple hours later, Troy was sitting at his desk when his phone rang. He picked it up.

"Dr. Bolton" Troy answered.

"Hi baby" Gabriella said.

Troy smiled.

"Hi sweetheart. Are you okay?" Troy asked.

"I'm tired" Gabriella said.

"Do you want me to come and get you from the office?" Troy asked.

"I can call Chad to come get me. I just am really tired today" Gabriella said.

"Are you sure? I can get there in twenty minutes Brie" Troy said already packing his stuff up.

"It's not an emergency. I just am tired. The baby is making me tired" Gabriella said.

"So are you going to call Chad?" Troy asked.

"I haven't decided" Gabriella said.

"Why haven't you decided?" Troy asked.

"Because I don't want to leave the stuff that I am working on right now" Gabriella said.

"Your health-" Troy started but Gabriella interrupted.

" "Your health is more important that your job". I know babe, but I will be on maternity leave in a couple months and I don't want to leave when it's not an emergency" Gabriella said.

Troy sighed.

"I just wanted to tell you how I was feeling so you would stop worrying" Gabriella said.

Troy smiled. Gabriella knew exactly what Troy was thinking even when they weren't in the same room.

"How did you know I was worried?" Troy asked as he sat back in his chair.

"Because you have been worried since the accident" Gabriella said.

"Yeah, your right" Troy said.

"I just wanted to let you know what was going on. I know that you need to get back to work" Gabriella said.

"Thank you for telling me honey. I'll come pick you up as soon as I can get out of here okay?" Troy said.

"Okay. I love you" Gabriella said.

"I love you too baby. Call me if anything changes" Troy said.

"I will" Gabriella said.

The couple ended their call and went back to their work. A couple hours later, Troy finished working for the day. He left his office and drove to Gabriella's. Troy walked into Gabriella's building and went to her firm. He walked into the waiting room and went to the front desk.

"Hi Troy, how's it going? You haven't come here for a while" Ellen, the receptionist said.

"Yeah, it's been a while. Is Gabriella with a client?" Troy asked.

"Let me go check for you" Ellen said.

"Alright" Troy said.

Ellen got up from her desk and walked into the hallway. Troy stood in the waiting area and looked at the wall, which held Gabriella's diploma's from college. He smiled. Troy remembered the day she graduated and couldn't have been more proud of his wife. He was pulled out of his thoughts when Ellen came back into the room.

"She's not with a client. You can go on back" Ellen said.

"Thank you" Troy said.

Troy walked down the hall to Gabriella's office. Once he got to Gabriella's door, he saw that it was closed. He knocked politely and heard a faint "come in". Troy opened the door and smiled when he saw Gabriella looking at files that held her cases that she was working on.

"Hey pretty girl" Troy said.

Gabriella looked up and smiled.

"How are you feeling?" Troy asked.

Gabriella put down the files that she was looking at and sighed.

"Exhausted" Gabriella said putting her hand on her expanding bump.

"Do you want me to take you home?" Troy asked.

Gabriella thought for a second and then looked at Troy and nodded.

"Alright baby. Get your things together and I will take you home" Troy said.

Gabriella collected all her belongings and then walked to the front of her desk. Troy put his arm around his wife and the couple left the office. The couple got into the car. Troy looked at Gabriella, who had put her head against the window and closed her eyes. He started driving home. Once Troy arrived home, he parked his car and looked at Gabriella and smiled when he saw her sleeping. He got out of the car and walked to her side and opened the door carefully. Troy kissed her cheek softly.

"Baby, we are home" Troy said.

"Mm" Gabriella said opening her eyes.

"Come on, let's get you inside" Troy said.

Gabriella got out of the car and the couple walked to the front door. Troy unlocked the door and the couple walked into the house. Gabriella walked upstairs and went into the bedroom and lied down and fell asleep. Troy walked upstairs and went into the bedroom and smiled when he saw Gabriella sleeping with her hand protectively on her bump. He walked over to the bed quietly and placed a kiss on Gabriella's head and carefully removed her shoes that were still on her swollen feet. He then went over to Gabriella's pajama drawer and pulled out her favorite and placed it on the bed. Troy carefully started unbuttoning his wife's shirt.

"Mm..Troy?" Gabriella asked sleepily.

"I am going to put your pajamas on you okay? Go back to sleep baby" Troy said.

Troy returned to removing Gabriella's business attire. Once he finished, Troy put Gabriella's pajamas on her. He then tucked her into bed. Troy kissed Gabriella's head softly and then her bump.

"Get some rest okay? Call me if you need anything" Troy whispered.

"Thank you baby" Gabriella mumbled in her sleep.

Troy smiled. He left the room and walked downstairs. A couple hours later, Gabriella woke up feeling a lot better than she had earlier. She got out of bed and saw that she was in her pajamas. Gabriella walked out of the bedroom and went downstairs and saw Troy watching television. She walked over to the couch and sat next to him, snuggling into his chest. Troy put his hand on Gabriella's lower back and started massaging it gently. He kissed her head softly.

"How are you feeling?" Troy asked.

"Better than earlier. I don't know what happened" Gabriella said.

"You need to slow down on work Brie. You can't do everything at the speed that you are used to" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded.

"I just thought I would have to slow down later. Like when I'm eight months pregnant, not four" Gabriella said.

"Even when you are two months pregnant, you shouldn't be working as hard as you are. You need a lot of sleep and relaxation. The baby is going to go into distress if you don't slow down" Troy said.

Gabriella buried her face into Troy's chest.

"I just have so much work I want to get done before I leave" Gabriella said.

"I know you want to get all this stuff done. But, you need to take time out for yourself and our son" Troy said.

Gabriella smiled when she heard "our son".

"I know and I'm sorry for making you worry about me. All I do is make you worried about me" Gabriella said as she started to cry.

"Hey, Brie. Don't cry. It's not your fault and I'm not blaming you for this. I'm always going to worry about you. I never want anything to happen to you" Troy said rubbing her lower back slowly.

Gabriella sniffled.

"You could be doing something else but you are worried because I can't even take care of our baby properly" Gabriella said.

Troy then realized Gabriella was having a mood swing. He kissed Gabriella's head, neck, and lastly her shoulder.

"Babe, I don't want to be doing anything else. There is no place I would rather be than be wherever you are. When I married you, I promised you that I would take care of you with every ounce of my being. I know you are taking good care of our son Brie. There just have been a couple minor incidents that have happened along the way. I don't want you to have to go through that alone" Troy said.

Gabriella sniffled again. Troy kissed Gabriella's cheek softly.

"I love you so much and I'm always going to worry about you Brie. Until my heart stops beating" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded. She wrapped her arms around her husband. The couple stayed in that position for ten minutes and in silence, soaking in all of the conversation that had just happened. Gabriella took a deep breath and released it. She looked up at Troy and smiled slightly.

"You okay?" Troy asked moving a piece of Gabriella's hair away from her face.

Gabriella nodded.

"I love you" Gabriella said.

Troy smiled and leaned in and kissed Gabriella's lips softly.

"I love you too" Troy said.

The rest of the day, the couple relaxed around the house. A couple days later, Gabriella was in the bathroom throwing up. Troy had just gotten home from work and walked into the living room and didn't see Gabriella anywhere. He walked upstairs and saw the bathroom door closed. Troy walked over to the door and put his ear to the door and heard Gabriella throwing up.

"Baby? Are you okay?" Troy asked.

When all Troy heard was his wife throwing up, he turned the knob of the door and found that it was unlocked. Troy walked into the bathroom and put his hand on the small of Gabriella's back.

"Just relax sweetheart. Everything's okay" Troy said.

Gabriella moved away from the toilet a couple minutes later. She took a shaky deep breath in and released it. Troy flushed the toilet and picked up a hand towel and ran some cold water onto it and rubbed it gently onto his wife's face. He helped her stand up and Gabriella walked to the sink and brushed her teeth. After she finished, Gabriella looked at Troy.

"What happened Brie?" Troy asked.

"I don't feel good" Gabriella said putting her hand on her bump.

"What's wrong?" Troy asked.

"My stomach doesn't feel good" Gabriella said.

"What did you eat?" Troy asked.

"A sandwich with some fish" Gabriella said.

Troy sighed.

"Come on, I'll make you some tea" Troy said.

"Okay, let me change first" Gabriella said.

"Alright" Troy said.

Gabriella changed out of her office attire quickly. She then looked at her husband.

"I thought morning sickness was supposed to be over" Gabriella said.

"It can come and go after your first trimester" Troy said.

Gabriella walked over to Troy and wrapped her arms around his waist. Troy put his hand on the back of Gabriella's head and held her close. He kissed her head softly.

"I was so tired when I came home from work and then this happened" Gabriella said.

"I know sweetheart. I know. Just relax okay? I'm here and everything is okay" Troy said.

Gabriella took a deep breath and released it.

"Can you stay home tomorrow?" Gabriella asked quietly.

Troy smiled and out his hand on Gabriella's stomach.

"Of course. You know that if you need me to be here, I will sweetheart" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded.

"I just don't want to be dealing with this by myself" Gabriella said.

Troy kissed Gabriella's head softly.

"I know and I'm not going to let you deal with this yourself" Troy said.

"Thank you" Gabriella said.

"Don't thank me babe. It's my job. I love you" Troy said.

Gabriella smiled.

"I love you too" Gabriella said.

The rest of the day, the couple relaxed around the house. Troy was always going to be there for Gabriella, no matter what.


	8. A Woman Needs Her Mother

The next morning, Gabriella snuggled into Troy's chest. Troy wrapped his arm around his wife and opened his eyes slowly. He smiled when he saw her sleeping. Troy lifted Gabriella's hand off of his body carefully and heard her moan in disappointment. Gabriella opened her eyes and looked at her husband. Troy smiled.

"I thought you weren't going to work today" Gabriella said.

"I'm not. I just was trying to get up and let you sleep a little longer" Troy said.

"Stay please" Gabriella said holding onto Troy's arm.

Troy smiled. He leaned in and kissed Gabriella's lips softly.

"I'm not going anywhere. Don't worry" Troy said moving back to his original position.

Gabriella looked at her expanding bump.

"He's getting bigger every day I swear" Gabriella said.

Troy smiled. He put his hand on Gabriella's bump.

"Yeah, he's going to be like his daddy" Troy said.

Gabriella smiled. Troy put his hand on Gabriella's bump and smiled. He couldn't wait for his son to come. Troy looked over at Gabriella and saw that she fallen back asleep. He smiled in content. She needed sleep. Troy then fell asleep himself. Later that day, Gabriella was in the bathroom with her shirt raised above her bump. She looked at her sides and saw stretch marks starting to appear. Gabriella put her shirt back over her bump and sighed. She walked out of the bathroom and went into the kitchen.

"Look what your son is doing to me" Gabriella said.

Troy looked over at Gabriella confused. He got up from his seat.

"Why does he become my son when something goes wrong?" Troy asked.

"Stretch marks are starting to appear" Gabriella said.

"Let me see" Troy said.

Gabriella lifted her shirt above her bump. Troy looked at Gabriella's stomach and back and saw the stretch marks that she was talking about.

"There is a cream that you can put on them to make them go away a little bit. But they won't take them away completely" Troy said.

"I'll try it. I just don't want to look ugly" Gabriella said.

Troy chuckled. He placed a kiss on Gabriella's lips.

"You look beautiful Brie. Stretch marks just come with pregnancy" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded and put her hand on her bump.

"Do you want me to pick up a container of it later?" Troy asked.

"Okay" Gabriella said.

"Do you feel okay today?" Troy asked.

"Yeah. Just this stretch mark situation ruined my day" Gabriella said.

Troy smiled.

"Don't let it bother you. There's no way you could prevented it" Troy said.

"I know" Gabriella said.

A couple days later, Troy came home to seeing Gabriella in front of the television in the living room breathing deeply. He put down his stuff and watched her for a minute. Gabriella was doing various yoga poses and doing different types of breathing exercises. Troy smiled. He knew that yoga was good for pregnant women and was glad that Gabriella was doing it. Troy quietly walked into the kitchen trying not to disturb Gabriella's yoga session. A couple minutes later, a very sweaty Gabriella walked into the kitchen and drank a cup of water.

"I didn't hear you come in" Gabriella said.

Troy smiled. He walked over to his wife and kissed her lips softly.

"How was yoga?" Troy asked.

Gabriella smiled.

"Relaxing" Gabriella said simply.

"Good. What made you want to start doing yoga?" Troy asked.

"Tay said that I should try it because it can help give more oxygen to the baby and help with stress" Gabriella said.

Troy smiled and nodded.

"She's right. But, are you getting stressed?" Troy asked.

"Just work stuff" Gabriella said.

"Did something happen?" Troy asked.

"You know how I talked to my boss and told him that I was coming back after the baby comes?" Gabriella asked.

"Yeah" Troy said.

"He's reviewing my file Troy. He may not allow me to come back after the baby" Gabriella said.

Troy's face softened. He looked at Gabriella and saw the concern in her eyes and didn't blame her for feeling the way she did.

"He can't do that. It's illegal to do that" Troy said.

"Well, if he does fire me, I don't know what I'm going to do" Gabriella said.

"You can take him to court" Troy said.

"And have two lawyers go head to head? I don't want to do that" Gabriella said.

Troy opened his arms and Gabriella walked into them. She sighed as she came in contact her with husband's skin.

"Here's what we are going to do okay? You keep doing your yoga and trying to relax and not think about this okay? We will figure out this whole thing later on. It's not worth getting you stressed out" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded against Troy's chest. Troy kissed Gabriella's head softly.

"I'm going to take a nap. Too much happened today for one pregnant woman" Gabriella said.

"Is there anything else that happened?" Troy asked.

"Mom got transferred. She called me as I was driving home" Gabriella said nonchalantly.

"Baby, I'm so sorry" Troy said.

"I don't want to talk about it right now. I just need to calm down" Gabriella said.

"When you are ready to talk about it, you know I will be here" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded. She released her arms from Troy and walked upstairs to the bedroom and fell asleep. Once Troy heard the bedroom door close, he sighed. He rubbed his face and took a deep breath. Gabriella needed him more than ever right now. Maria's company had moved around a lot, which caused Gabriella to not have a stable place to call home. Troy knew that this move would be much different since Gabriella was pregnant. She had always told him how she couldn't wait to watch her kids with her mother. A couple hours later, Gabriella came downstairs and saw Troy sitting in the living room. She walked over to him and sat down beside him.

"Do you feel a little better after your nap?" Troy asked.

"A little" Gabriella said.

"So your mom got transferred. Is she staying in Albuquerque or somewhere else?" Troy asked.

"New York" Gabriella said breathlessly.

Troy sighed and looked at Gabriella and saw the hurt in her eyes.

"I'm sorry sweetie. When does she leave?" Troy asked.

"Next week" Gabriella said.

"You can always call her and talk to her" Troy said trying to cheer her up.

"She's going to miss the birth of her grandson, a time where I need her the most" Gabriella said wiping a tear that was running down her cheek.

"Is there any way that I could help you feel a little better?" Troy asked.

"Just don't leave me please" Gabriella said as more tears ran down her cheeks.

Troy's face softened. He kissed Gabriella's temple softly and put his hand on her bump.

"I will never _ever_ leave you Gabriella. You don't have to worry about that" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded.

"I love you" Gabriella said.

"I love you too. You know that right?" Troy asked.

Gabriella nodded and sniffled.

"If you need me for any reason Gabs, you know I will be here" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded.

"I just need to process all of this" Gabriella said.

Troy nodded. Every time Gabriella was told that her mother would be getting transferred, she would lock herself in the bedroom and not speak to anyone. Gabriella had been doing that for as long as she could remember. It was her way of coping. Even though she herself was not moving with her, it felt like she was.

"Do you want me to sleep in the guest room so you can just chill in our room?" Troy asked.

"If you don't mind" Gabriella said.

Troy smiled. Gabriella always thought of him when she would go through something like this. Gabriella didn't want to make Troy feel like he couldn't help.

"Of course I don't mind sweetheart" Troy said.

"Sorry for kicking you out" Gabriella said.

"Don't worry about it. I just want you to be able to get through this and I want to help you as much as I can to do so" Troy said.

Gabriella smiled and nodded.

"I know you do. Thank you" Gabriella said.

"No problem" Troy said.

That night, Troy was sleeping in the guest room and Gabriella in the master. Gabriella woke up in the middle of the night, tears running down her face. She had had a nightmare and remembered every time she had moved in her childhood and how her mother's moving announcement hurt her. Gabriella saw that Troy was still in the guest room and got out of bed and walked down the hall. She walked into the guest room and lied down on the bed and snuggled into her husband's chest. Troy woke up and saw Gabriella lying next to him with tears running down her face.

"What's wrong Brie?" Troy asked.

"Nightmare" Gabriella said.

Troy put his arm on the small of Gabriella's back and started to massage it gently. Gabriella put her head on Troy's chest and sighed.

"Everything's okay and you are okay. Do you want to tell me what it was about?" Troy asked.

"It was about mom leaving" Gabriella said.

Troy nodded, knowing that she was going to have dreams like that for a while like she always did when Maria would move.

"What about her moving?" Troy asked moving a piece of stray hair away from Gabriella's face.

"She missed the baby growing up" Gabriella said.

Troy nodded and kissed Gabriella's cheek softly.

"Everything is going to be fine baby. Don't let this move stress you out" Troy said.

"What if she does miss the baby growing up?" Gabriella asked.

"If she misses him growing up, then she will have to deal with it. It will be on her and not you" Troy said.

"It would hurt me if she missed him growing up" Gabriella said.

"I know, but we will have to just wait and see what happens" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded. Troy wiped her tears away with the pad of his thumb.

"Take a deep breath for me babe" Troy said.

Gabriella took a deep breath and released it.

"Listen to me okay, go back to sleep. Don't worry about anything. Do you want me to talk to your mom tomorrow? I can call her from the office" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded.

"Okay. Are you going to sleep here or go back to our room?" Troy asked.

"I want to be here with you" Gabriella said.

Troy smiled. Gabriella snuggled into Troy's chest and fell asleep. The next day, Troy was at work and had a break from seeing patients. He picked up the phone and dialed his mother-in-law's number and waited for her to answer.

"Hello?" Maria answered.

"Hi Maria, it's Troy" Troy said.

"Hi Troy, how's it going?" Maria asked.

"Everything's alright. I just wanted to call and see how things were going. Brie told me that you were being transferred" Troy said.

"Yes, I got transferred to New York. I leave next week. I told Gabi as soon as I found out" Maria said.

"Maria, I don't want to upset you for any reason but did you ask Gabriella how she felt about you moving?" Troy asked.

"No I didn't ask. Why, what's wrong?" Maria asked.

"She's been crying since you told her that you were being transferred. Last night, she had flashbacks of all the times she had to move and she's very upset that you will not be here when the baby is born" Troy said.

"Troy, I didn't know I had upset her to that extent. She usually keeps all of that information about my transfers to herself. I feel awful that I have to leave her when she needs me the most. But, I won't have a job if I don't take this transfer" Maria said.

"I understand Maria. But, you couldn't hold off on this transfer for a couple more months until she had the baby?" Troy asked.

"I had no idea I was being transferred. The company just tells me when I have to be in the next location" Maria said.

Troy sighed knowing that his mother-in-law wasn't going to budge.

"Alright. I understand and I know this is hard but Gabi needs you Maria. She needs her mother with her during this time. Yes, my mom will be there for her, but you are her blood. I have to get back to work but I just wanted to see what was going on" Troy said.

"Okay. Please tell her that I'm sorry that I upset her" Maria said.

"I will" Troy said.

The two adults hung up. Troy sighed and put his hands over his face. Gabriella was going to be heartbroken to know that her mother wouldn't be around when she has to give birth. He got up from his desk and returned to work. A couple hours later, Troy drove home anxious to see how his wife was doing. He pulled into the driveway and parked his car. Troy walked into the house and put his stuff down.

"Brie, I'm home" Troy said.

There was silence. Troy walked into the bedroom and saw that the bathroom door was closed. He walked over to the door and knocked.

"Babe, are you okay?" Troy asked.

"Yeah, you can come in if you want" Gabriella said.

Troy opened the door a little bit and peeked in.

"Hey baby" Troy said.

Gabriella was in the bathtub with her eyes closed. Her bump was sticking out of the soapy water. Troy smiled.

"Hi, how was your day?" Gabriella asked.

"Fine, how are you doing today?" Troy asked.

"Alright" Gabriella said.

"Was work better today than yesterday?" Troy asked.

"A little bit but everyone was still asking questions" Gabriella said

Gabriella opened her eyes and sat up so she was looking at her husband directly.

"Just ignore it. Don't worry about it" Troy said.

"Did you talk to my mom?" Gabriella asked.

"Yeah, I did" Troy said breathlessly.

"What happened?" Gabriella asked.

Troy didn't want to tell Gabriella bad news but he wanted her to know the truth.

"She isn't budging. She didn't think that you would be upset. But she told me to tell you that she's sorry that she won't be there" Troy said.

Gabriella sighed in disappointment. She put her hand on her bare stomach and looked down.

"It just hurts" Gabriella said.

"I know it does Brie, I know. But if you want mom to be there, you know she will in a heartbeat" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded.

"I wish my dad was here" Gabriella said.

Troy's face dropped. Gabriella covered her face and cried. Troy put his hand on Gabriella's shoulder.

"Sh.. I know you do Brie" Troy said.

Gabriella stood up and got out of the tub. She drained the water that was in it and changed into her pajamas. Troy opened his arms and Gabriella walked into them and cried. He put his hand on Gabriella's back and whispered sweet things into her ear.

"None of my family is going to be there for their grandchild's birth" Gabriella said.

"Baby, just relax okay?" Troy said.

Gabriella took a deep breath and sniffled.

"Let's go see my parents tomorrow and talk to my mom. If she can't for whatever reason, maybe Tay would want to" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded. The next day, the couple was driving to the Bolton home. Troy looked at Gabriella and knew that she was hurting. He pulled up to his childhood home and parked his car.

"Sweetheart, you ready to go in?" Troy asked.

"Huh?" Gabriella asked.

Troy smiled.

"You look like you are a million miles away. What are you thinking about?" Troy asked.

"Everything" Gabriella said.

Troy leaned over and kissed Gabriella's cheek.

"Let's go talk to mom and see what she says" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded. The couple got out of the car and walked to the front door of the Bolton home. Troy rang the doorbell and waited for someone to answer. Jack Bolton answered the door and smiled.

"Hey guys. Gabi, how's my grandson?" Jack asked as they walked into the house.

"He's good. Killing my back, but he's good" Gabriella said putting her hand on her aching back.

Troy smiled.

"Where's mom? We need to talk to her" Troy asked.

"She's in the kitchen" Jack said.

Troy and Gabriella walked into the kitchen. Troy walked over to his mother and wrapped his arms around her.

"Hi mama. Do you have a minute? Brie and I need to talk to you" Troy said.

"What's wrong?" Lucille asked.

"Nothing's wrong per se but we just need to talk to you" Troy said.

"Let's go in the living room" Lucille said.

The couple and Lucille walked into the living room and sat down.

"What's going on?" Lucille asked.

"Maria is getting transferred to New York. She told Gabriella a couple days ago" Troy said.

"Oh honey, I'm so sorry" Lucille said.

Gabriella smiled.

"She's leaving next week. She isn't going to be here for the remainder of Brie's pregnancy or the birth" Troy continued.

"Gabi, you know that if you need anything, you can call me" Lucille said.

Gabriella nodded.

"Brie is the most concerned with the birth. She wanted Maria and I both to be there but since that idea was shot down, she wanted to know if you would take Maria's place and be there for the birth" Troy explained.

"Of course. Absolutely. I will be there. No questions asked. Gabi, you know that you are my daughter and I know that pregnancy is scary to go through especially when your mother, who you could relate to the most, isn't there. If you need me, let me know okay? I'm so sorry" Lucille said.

Gabriella smiled.

"Thank you Lucille. It means so much to me. The news still hasn't sunk in and I'm just stressed out and don't really know what the next step should be" Gabriella said.

Troy smiled.

"I know you are honey and I know that your hormones are probably going crazy during all of this too" Lucille said.

The couple nodded. They talked to Lucille for a little while longer until Gabriella started to get tired. The couple left the Bolton home and got into the car.

"Do you feel a little better now?" Troy asked.

"A little bit" Gabriella said.

The couple drove home and relaxed around the house for the rest of the day. Troy knew that Gabriella needed support during this time and he was going to be there when she needed him.


	9. Moving Sucks

A week later, Gabriella and Troy were standing at the airport with Maria, waiting for her flight to New York. She had shipped all of her belongings a couple days ago. Troy held Gabriella's hand, silently letting her know that he was there for support. Gabriella had tears running down her cheeks. There was an announcement on the loudspeaker, signaling that Maria had to start boarding the plane.

"I'll call you when I land. I know you are upset with me and you have every right to be Gabi. I love you" Maria said.

"I love you too" Gabriella said.

Maria hugged her daughter and kissed her cheek. She then hugged Troy and started walking to the crowd of people that were boarding the plane. Troy put his arm around Gabriella and kissed her cheek softly. He rubbed her back as she silently released tears down her cheeks.

"Come on, let's get out here" Troy said.

Gabriella sniffled and nodded. The couple left the airport and started driving home.

"You okay baby?" Troy asked as he looked over at his wife.

Gabriella nodded slightly.

"Yeah" Gabriella said.

"Tay said that she wanted to come over when we got home. Maybe that will cheer you up a little bit" Troy said.

"Maybe" Gabriella said.

"I love you" Troy said.

"I love you too. Thank you for being so supportive with all of this stuff. I wouldn't have been able to go through this by myself" Gabriella said.

Troy smiled. He put his hand on top of Gabriella's on the center console of the car. Troy picked up Gabriella's hand and kissed it softly.

"You are most welcome sweetheart. I'm always going to be here" Troy said.

"Thank you" Gabriella said.

Troy drove home and saw that Taylor's car was already sitting in front of their house. He pulled into the driveway and parked the car. The couple got out of the car and Taylor got off of the swing that was next to the front door and walked over to Gabriella and hugged her.

"If you need anything Gabi, you know that I'm here" Taylor said.

"Thanks Tay. I really appreciate it" Gabriella said.

They all walked into the house and went into the living room. Troy's phone went off and he picked it up and looked at the message.

"Baby, I have to run to my office really quick. Do you want to come with me or do you want to stay with Tay?" Troy asked.

"I'll stay with Tay. I'm okay Troy" Gabriella said.

"Okay, I'll be back soon" Troy said kissing Gabriella's lips softly.

"I love you" Gabriella said quietly in his ear.

Troy smiled.

"I love you too baby. Call me if you need me" Troy whispered back.

Gabriella nodded. Troy left the house.

"Have you started shopping for the nursery?" Taylor asked.

"Not yet. We still have time" Gabriella said.

"How far along are you?" Taylor asked.

"Six months tomorrow" Gabriella said.

Taylor smiled.

"Are you starting to get excited for him to come?" Taylor asked.

"Yeah, but I'm also really scared" Gabriella said.

Taylor smiled.

"It's your first baby. Everyone is a little scared when it's their first. You will be fine. If you aren't, I'll come in and kick someone's butt" Taylor said.

Gabriella giggled.

"I'm sure you will" Gabriella said.

"Who's going to be in the delivery room with you?" Taylor asked.

"Troy and Lucille. I asked Lucille because my mom won't be there and I just need a mom with me" Gabriella said.

Taylor smiled.

"I'm sure she is excited" Taylor said.

Gabriella nodded.

"She's really excited" Gabriella said.

"Have you started talking about names for him yet?" Taylor asked.

"No, we just have been so busy with my mom moving and my whole job thing that we haven't started" Gabriella said.

"I understand. You have been under a lot of stress" Taylor said.

Gabriella nodded. The two women talked for a little while longer until Taylor had to leave. Gabriella closed the front door and was met with Troy, who had come into the house from the garage.

"Hey, how are you doing? Did hanging out with Tay help?" Troy asked putting his stuff down.

"Yeah, it helped. We have to start thinking of names Troy" Gabriella said.

"I know. I was thinking about that too. I wanted to wait to talk to you about it until after your mom left so that you would have something to think about" Troy said.

Gabriella smiled.

"How are we going to pick his name?" Gabriella asked.

"How about we each come up with ten names and delete the ones we don't want" Troy suggested.

"Okay" Gabriella said.

A couple days later, Troy and Gabriella were driving to Dr. Hart's office for Gabriella's six month check-up.

"Who do you think he is going to look like?" Gabriella asked.

"I hope he looks like me. I am his father after all" Troy said.

Gabriella sighed and looked at Troy.

"I'm serious baby. Who do you think he's going to look like?" Gabriella asked.

"I think he will have my eyes, hopefully and your personality. Chad hopes that he will like basketball" Troy said.

"Maybe he will be a basketball star like his daddy" Gabriella said.

Troy smiled.

"He can do anything he wants to do. I'm not going to push a basketball into his hand if he doesn't want to play" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded. Troy pulled into the parking lot and parked his car.

"Let's go see our son" Troy said.

Gabriella smiled. The couple got out of the car and walked into the office. Gabriella signed herself in and sat down next to Troy.

"Have you been feeling him move around?" Troy asked.

"Yeah, but no kicking yet" Gabriella said.

"He will soon. I think that's when it's going to feel real" Troy said.

"Yeah" Gabriella said.

A nurse came into the waiting room with a file and called Gabriella's name. The couple got up and followed the nurse and Gabriella had her vital signs taken. They then were escorted into an exam room. Gabriella changed into a gown and sat down on the exam table.

"What do you think she will say today?" Gabriella asked.

"I bet she is going to talk to you about your stress level. I have a feeling that it is a little high" Troy said.

"Well, it will be high because of all the stuff that's happened" Gabriella said.

"Maybe. But, let's see what she says. We could be wrong" Troy said.

There was a knock on the door and Dr. Hart came into the room.

"Hi guys. How are you feeling Gabriella?" Dr. Hart asked as she washed her hands.

"I'm alright" Gabriella said.

"We've been a little stressed out the last couple of weeks. Gabi's mom moved to New York and it's been a really hard adjustment for her" Troy said.

"Oh Gabi. I'm so sorry" Dr. Hart said.

Gabriella smiled slightly.

"I have just been trying to cope with all of this" Gabriella said.

"Her stress level maybe a little high" Troy said.

Dr. Hart nodded.

"I will take that in consideration when I examine her. Has he been moving around in there?" Dr. Hart asked.

"I feel movement but no kicking yet" Gabriella said putting her hand on her bump.

"That's normal. He should start kicking in a couple weeks" Dr. Hart said.

The couple nodded.

"Let's take a look and see how he's doing. Can you lie back for me?" Dr. Hart asked.

"Yeah" Gabriella said.

Troy helped Gabriella lie back. He sat down in a chair that was next to the bed. Dr. Hart put a blanket over Gabriella's legs and raised her gown above her bump. She then squeezed some gel onto Gabriella's stomach and took a wand and moved the gel around. Dr. Hart looked at the screen and smiled.

"There he is" Dr. Hart said.

The couple looked at the screen and smiled.

"He grew" Gabriella said.

"Yeah, he's going to be big like his daddy" Troy said.

"Were you a big baby?" Dr. Hart asked.

"My mom thought she was going to have to have a c-section because I was so big, but she didn't" Troy said.

Dr. Hart moved the wand around Gabriella's stomach again. Gabriella looked at the screen and smiled.

"Is he healthy?" Gabriella asked.

"Yes, very healthy. I don't see any problems" Dr. Hart said.

Gabriella nodded.

"What about her stress level?" Troy asked.

"Her stress may have been high but it didn't show in the ultrasound. I could do a non-stress test but the results won't be in until next week" Dr. Hart said.

"Then it's not worth it" Troy said.

Dr. Hart nodded. She printed out some pictures for the couple and they left the office. Troy and Gabriella got into the car and started driving home.

"When do you start your maternity leave?" Troy asked.

"Next month. I wanted to wait an extra month because of all the court dates that I have set up" Gabriella said.

Troy nodded.

"Are you going to take a leave also?" Gabriella asked.

"Yeah, but when you hit eight months. That's really when anything can happen" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded. A week later, Troy was working at the office when the phone rang.

"Dr. Bolton" Troy said.

"Hi baby" Gabriella said.

Troy smiled.

"Hi sweetheart. What's going on? Are you okay?" Troy asked as he got up and closed his office door.

"I talked to mom today" Gabriella said.

"Oh, how is she doing?" Troy asked.

"She's fine. I guess she likes the office over there more than here" Gabriella said.

"That's good. Does she like New York?" Troy asked.

"Yeah, she does" Gabriella said softly.

Troy smiled slightly.

"You miss her today" Troy concluded.

"Was I that obvious?" Gabriella asked.

Troy smiled.

"When you get home, get into bed and just relax okay? I'm going to try and leave early" Troy said.

"You don't have to leave early" Gabriella said.

"I want to" Troy said.

"Fine" Gabriella said.

Troy smiled.

"Alright, I have to get back to work. But, I love you baby. Give the little man a kiss for me" Troy said.

Gabriella smiled at Troy's nickname for their son until they found a name for him.

"I love you too and I will" Gabriella said.

The couple hung up. Gabriella sighed. She put her hand on her bump.

"You miss grandma too, huh baby boy?" Gabriella asked her unborn son.

Gabriella put her hand on her bump and continued working on her cases. A couple hours later, Gabriella had arrived home after a long day at the office. It was getting harder and harder to concentrate on her cases. She walked into the house and went upstairs and changed into some comfortable clothes. Gabriella walked downstairs and went into the kitchen and made a snack for herself that consisted of vegetables and peanut butter. Her latest craving. She brought the delicacy into the living room and sat down on the couch. A couple minutes later, the front door opened and Troy walked in.

"Brie, I'm home" Troy said.

"Living room" Gabriella said.

Troy walked into the living room and loosened his tie and took it off. He smiled when he saw Gabriella eating her snack.

"What are we craving today?" Troy asked.

"Vegetables and peanut butter" Gabriella said.

Troy scrunched up his nose and stuck his tongue out in disgust.

"You are missing out" Gabriella said holding a carrot that was dipped in peanut butter.

"At least you are craving protein. How did the rest of the day at the office go?" Troy asked as he sat next to her.

"Alright. I'm getting more and more tired" Gabriella said.

Troy smiled.

"That's normal. Listen to your body. If you need to slow down, then do it" Troy said.

Gabriella sighed. She snuggled into Troy's chest. Troy wrapped his arm around her and kissed her head.

"I love you" Troy said.

"I love you too" Gabriella mumbled.

"You know, it's okay to miss your mom babe" Troy said.

"I know. But it just adds stress that I don't need right now" Gabriella said.

"I know and that's to be expected. Do you want me to call Tay or do you want to my parents house to get your mind off of it?" Troy asked.

Gabriella shook her head.

"I just don't understand why she couldn't just wait. Why did she have to go now? This our first baby and I don't know anything about having a baby. She let me down, again. I just need her" Gabriella said as she started to cry.

Troy wrapped his arms around Gabriella and let her cry in his arms. He rubbed her lower back soothingly and kissed her shoulder.

"I know you need her baby and there is nothing I can say to make you think otherwise. But, my mom and I are here. Tay is here when you need her too. We all love you and want to help you through this" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded. She put her hand on her bump.

"We are going to be okay. Our little guy is going to come whether his grandma is here or not and there is nothing you can do to prevent that" Troy said putting his hand on top of Gabriella's.

Gabriella took a deep breath and released it.

"Feeling a little better?" Troy asked.

Gabriella nodded. Troy smiled and leaned in and kissed Gabriella's lips. Gabriella kissed him back and smiled. A couple days later, Troy was working at his office when there was a knock on the door.

"Come in" Troy said.

Pat poked her head into the office and smiled.

"Dr. Bolton, Gabriella's on line one" Pat said.

"Thanks Pat" Troy said picking up the phone.

Pat closed the door. Troy connected to line one.

"Baby?" Troy answered.

"Troy" Gabriella cried.

Troy became concerned when he heard Gabriella cry.

"What's wrong?" Troy asked.

"I think I'm having contractions" Gabriella said worriedly.

"Where are you?" Troy asked.

"Driving to the hospital" Gabriella said.

"I'll meet you there okay? Stay calm Brie" Troy said.

"Okay" Gabriella said.

Troy hung up and quickly got up and walked to the reception desk.

"Pat, I need someone to cover for me. Gabriella's on her way to the hospital" Troy said.

"Okay" Pat said.

Troy walked out of the office and went upstairs to labor and delivery. He walked up to the front desk.

"Hi, my wife-" Troy started.

"She's in room five Dr. Bolton" the receptionist said.

Troy smiled.

"Thank you" Troy said.

Troy walked to room five and knocked on the door. He peeked his head in and saw Gabriella lying in a hospital bed.

"What happened sweetheart?" Troy asked sitting in a chair that was next to the bed.

"I don't know. I was at the office and all of the sudden I started having pain and it would come and go. I timed it and realized I was having contractions" Gabriella explained to her husband.

Troy nodded.

"I'm scared" Gabriella said.

"I know you are Brie. I am too. Just relax. Are you still having contractions?" Troy asked.

Gabriella nodded.

"But they aren't consistent" Gabriella said.

Troy nodded. There was a knock on the door and Dr. Hart walked into the room.

"Hi guys. Gabriella you are having contractions?" Dr. Hart asked.

"Yeah, but they are on and off" Gabriella said.

"Let me examine you and see if you are dilating" Dr. Hart said.

Gabriella spread her legs apart and reached for Troy's hand, which he gladly gave her. She closed her eyes and silently prayed that everything was okay. Dr. Hart examined Gabriella and looked up.

"You aren't dilating which is good. You are probably having false labor contractions. They are normal. I want you to take it easy and I think that you should probably start your maternity leave early" Dr. Hart said.

The couple nodded.

"Thank you Dr. Hart" Gabriella said.

"No problem. Take it easy" Dr. Hart said.

Dr. Hart left the room. Gabriella looked at Troy and her eyes filled with tears.

"Babe, you both are okay. Don't cry sweetheart" Troy said.

"I was so scared" Gabriella said.

"I know you were. I think that the contractions that you were having were due to stress. With your mom moving and the work thing, I think that you got too stressed out and it stressed out the baby" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded.

"I want to go home" Gabriella said.

"Alright, I'll take you home" Troy said.

Gabriella changed back into her regular clothes and the couple left the hospital.

"I'm sorry if I scared you" Gabriella said as they drove home.

Troy took Gabriella's hand in his and gave it a comforting squeeze.

"I'm just glad that both of you are okay" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded. The couple arrived home and walked into the house. Gabriella went into the living room and sat on the couch and sighed.

"Sweetheart, do you want me to make you some tea?" Troy asked.

"No thanks" Gabriella said.

Troy walked into the living room and sat down next to his wife.

"You okay?" Troy asked.

"Yeah, just thinking" Gabriella said.

"About what?" Troy asked.

"The baby" Gabriella said.

Troy smiled.

"What about him?" Troy asked lifting Gabriella's shirt up and kissing her bump softly.

"I didn't mean to put him in any harm" Gabriella said.

Troy looked at Gabriella and his face softened.

"Brie, you just need to let go of everything. Whatever the issue is, it can wait. I understand that your mom leaving was hard, but you can't dwell on it. You need to accept that this is the route she chose and move on. If you can't, then he's going to be in trouble and have you in the hospital again" Troy said.

Gabriella sniffled and nodded.

"I know" Gabriella said.

"Let's try and be stress-free for the remainder of your pregnancy okay?" Troy said.

"Okay" Gabriella said.

Troy smiled slightly.

"I am going to go on my leave early and I think you should too" Troy said.

"I agree with you" Gabriella said.

"I will talk to my boss tomorrow" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded. The next day, Troy came home from work and saw Gabriella sleeping on the couch. He smiled. Troy walked over to Gabriella and kissed her cheek softly.

"Mm" Gabriella mumbled.

"Baby, I'm home" Troy said.

Gabriella opened her eyes slowly and looked at her husband.

"My boss approved of me taking my leave early" Troy said.

"Oh" Gabriella said.

"You don't sound very happy about that" Troy said.

"I feel like a burden on you" Gabriella said.

"You are not a burden on me baby. I want to be the one taking care of you and the only way I can do that is if I leave early" Troy said.

Gabriella looked at Troy and sighed.

"I talked to my boss and she agreed to let me leave early too" Gabriella said.

"Good. So what are we going to do with all this free time?" Troy asked.

"Sleep" Gabriella said.

"Sexy time too" Troy said.

Gabriella giggled.

"It's good for the baby" Troy said.

"Oh, it's good for the baby? Or is it good for you?" Gabriella asked.

"The baby. I just get the leftover fun" Troy joked.

Gabriella laughed.

"I love you" Gabriella said.

"I love you too. Do you need me to do anything?" Troy asked.

"Just stay here with me" Gabriella said.

The couple relaxed around the house. Troy was so glad that Gabriella went on maternity leave early to eliminate some of the stress that she had.


	10. Say My Name

The next morning, Gabriella got out of bed and walked into the living room. She turned on the television and put her prenatal yoga DVD into the DVD player and started her morning yoga session. Fifteen minutes later, Troy walked into the kitchen but stopped and walked back to the living room and smiled when he saw Gabriella doing yoga. He then walked into the kitchen. An hour later, Gabriella walked into the kitchen and smiled when she saw Troy sitting and reading something on his laptop. She walked over to him and kissed his cheek.

"Morning baby" Gabriella said.

Troy smiled.

"Good morning sweetheart. You are in a good mood. Maybe doing yoga is allowing you to finally relax" Troy said.

"Maybe. What are we going to do today?" Gabriella asked.

"Relax around the house. That's the whole reason we wanted to move your maternity leave up wasn't it?" Troy said.

"Yeah, but I think the yoga is helping. I just have to remember to do it every morning" Gabriella said.

"Set a reminder on your phone" Troy suggested.

"I will. But seriously, are we going to stay in the house all day?" Gabriella asked.

"Yes. If we were allowed to leave the house, I would be at work and so would you" Troy said.

Gabriella sighed.

"I know you want to go out Brie. But, we need to get your stress level down to like zero" Troy said.

"Can we at least start figuring out how we are going to set up his room?" Gabriella asked.

"We can do that if you want" Troy said.

"But that requires us to leave the house" Gabriella said.

"We can figure out how to set his room up here. Some other time, when your stress level is lower, we can go out and look at furniture and all of that stuff" Troy said.

"Okay" Gabriella said in defeat.

Troy kissed Gabriella's lips softly.

"I'm just trying to keep both of you safe Brie, that's all" Troy said.

"I know" Gabriella said.

"Still love me?" Troy asked.

"I guess I will keep you" Gabriella joked.

Troy laughed. The couple sat at the table and figured out how they were going to set up their son's room. A couple hours later, the phone rang. Troy picked it up.

"Hello?" Troy answered.

"Hi Troy, how are you?" Maria asked her son-in-law.

"Hi Maria, I'm fine. How are you?" Troy asked.

"I'm okay. Busy with work but I finally got some free time and thought that I would call and catch up" Maria said.

"Oh. Do you want to talk to Gabriella?" Troy asked.

"If she's available" Maria said.

"Hold on a sec. Babe, your mom is on the phone" Troy said.

Gabriella walked into the room and took the phone from her husband.

"Hi mom" Gabriella said.

"Hi honey, how are you feeling?" Maria asked.

"A little stressed out. I was in the hospital yesterday" Gabriella said.

"Why didn't you call me and tell me?" Maria asked.

"Why would I call and tell you mom? You are across the country" Gabriella said.

Troy looked at Gabriella, confused of why she was angry at her mother. But then it had clicked. Maria hadn't called to talk to Gabriella since she left for New York.

"Gabi, I want to know things like that. Even though I moved, it doesn't change the fact that I'm your mom" Maria said.

"A mom wouldn't leave her only child with no family around her when she's pregnant" Gabriella said.

"You have Troy's family there for support" Maria said.

Gabriella closed her eyes and sighed.

"You know what, I can't talk to you right now" Gabriella said.

Gabriella handed the phone back to Troy.

"Talk to her please. I'm going to go lie down" Gabriella said.

"Alright baby" Troy said taking the phone.

Gabriella left the room. Troy talked to Maria and hung up a couple minutes later. He put the phone down and walked upstairs to the bedroom.

"Brie, do you want to talk about it?" Troy asked as he looked at his wife, who was lying on the bed.

"She doesn't think she did anything wrong. She said that I have your family here, which I do and I love them to death. But it doesn't change the fact that I want her here" Gabriella explained.

Troy nodded.

"It sucks knowing that she won't be here" Gabriella said.

"I know sweetheart. I know how much you want her here" Troy said.

Gabriella sighed.

"She hasn't even called since she left" Gabriella said.

Troy nodded. He leaned in and kissed Gabriella's lips softly.

"Get some rest okay? Don't let this phone call ruin your day" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded.

"I love you" Gabriella said.

"I love you too" Troy said.

Gabriella fell asleep. Troy walked downstairs and picked up his phone and called his mother.

"Hello?" Lucile answered.

"Hi mama" Troy said.

"Hi Troy, how's everything?" Lucille asked.

"Maria just called and talked to Brie" Troy said.

"How did that go?" Lucille asked.

"She's upset" Troy said.

"What did Maria say?" Lucille asked.

"She was trying to catch up and it set Gabriella off. Brie got upset about her not calling and it just wasn't good" Troy said.

"Is she okay?" Lucille asked.

"She's sleeping now. Her OB wants her to limit her stress level and this probably made it skyrocket" Troy said.

"Why don't you guys come over for dinner? We want to see you guys and Gabi doesn't have to cook and be on her feet" Lucille said.

"Alright. I'll ask her when she wakes up" Troy said

Troy and Lucille talked for a little while longer until they both hung up. An hour later, Gabriella came into the living room, where Troy was sitting and watching television. He looked up and smiled.

"Did you have a nice nap?" Troy asked.

"Yeah" Gabriella said sitting down next to her husband and wrapping her arms around his waist and placing her head on his chest.

"I talked to my mom and she wanted to know if we wanted to come over for dinner" Troy said placing a hand on Gabriella's bump.

"I'll go" Gabriella said.

"Are you sure baby? I can tell her no if you are still upset" Troy said.

Gabriella smiled. She leaned in and kissed Troy's lips.

"I'm fine. I promise" Gabriella said.

"Okay" Troy said.

Troy rubbed Gabriella's stomach in soothing circles. He felt a kick come in contact with his hand. Troy's eyes widened.

"Did you feel that?" Troy asked.

"No, what's wrong?" Gabriella asked.

"He kicked for the first time" Troy said.

Gabriella smiled.

"Really?" Gabriella asked.

"Put your hand right here" Troy said.

Troy took Gabriella's hand and placed it on the spot where their son kicked him. Gabriella felt a small kick come in contact with her hand.

"Oh my god. He's kicking" Gabriella said as tears filled her eyes.

Troy smiled and nodded. He kissed Gabriella's lips softly and then her bump.

"Hi buddy, It's daddy. I love you and I can't wait for you to come out" Troy said.

Gabriella smiled.

"Now, it feels real" Gabriella said.

Troy nodded.

"See, if you had been at work and he kicked, you would have wanted to come home anyway" Troy said.

Gabriella looked at Troy annoyed.

"Don't start" Gabriella said.

Troy smiled. A couple weeks later, Gabriella was up late. The baby had been kicking and it didn't allow her to sleep. She was watching television in the living room, rubbing her bump in soothing circles, trying to get her son to calm down.

"Come on baby, mommy needs to get some sleep" Gabriella mumbled.

Gabriella heard footsteps and turned around and saw Troy walking into the room with a worried look on his face.

"Why are you up so late baby?" Troy asked sitting next to his wife on the couch.

"He's kicking and I couldn't sleep" Gabriella said.

Troy smiled. He put his hand on Gabriella's stomach.

"He's just trying to say hi" Troy said.

Gabriella smiled.

"I'm so tired. Why won't he let me sleep?" Gabriella asked.

Troy kissed Gabriella's stomach softly.

"Hey bud, let your mom sleep. She's really tired" Troy said talking to Gabriella's stomach.

Gabriella closed her eyes and sighed. She continued to rub her stomach in small soothing circles.

"Come on sweetheart. Come back to bed" Troy said.

Gabriella opened her eyes slowly. Troy stood up and offered his hands to Gabriella. Gabriella took her husband's hands and he helped her stand up. The couple walked back to the bedroom and got into bed. The next morning, Troy woke up and saw that Gabriella was still asleep. He smiled and got out of bed quietly, careful not to disturb his pregnant wife from her much needed sleep. At around two o' clock, Gabriella woke up and rubbed the sleep from her eyes. She looked at the clock and her eyes widened when she saw what time it was. Gabriella got out of bed and walked into the living room and saw Troy and Chad talking in the living room.

"Hey beautiful. How did you sleep?" Troy asked as he helped Gabriella sit down.

"Good. He finally settled down and allowed me to sleep" Gabriella said putting her hand on her bump.

"Tay sent Chad over here to check on you" Troy said.

Gabriella giggled.

"She told me that she wanted a full report" Chad said.

"I'm okay. Just tired" Gabriella said.

"He's been kicking all night" Troy said.

"Sounds like you have a soccer player in there" Chad said.

Gabriella smiled.

"Maybe" Gabriella said.

"Are you still tired baby?" Troy asked.

"A little" Gabriella said putting her hand on her bump.

Troy put his hand on Gabriella's bump and felt their son kick his hand. He smiled.

"Are you getting excited to be a mom Gabs?" Chad asked.

"Yeah, I can't wait to see him for the first time" Gabriella said.

"Me too" Troy said.

"When are you due?" Chad asked.

"September fourteenth" Gabriella said.

Chad smiled.

"Are you taking time off when he comes?" Chad asked his best friend.

"Yeah. I get a month off after he comes" Troy said.

"How long do you have for maternity leave?" Chad asked looking at Gabriella.

"I am going to take a month off after he comes too. But, when I go back to work, I was hoping Lucille could watch him" Gabriella said looking at her husband.

"She would love to watch him. I am sure of it" Troy said.

Gabriella smiled.

"Is Maria going to come down for the birth?" Chad asked.

Gabriella looked down and sighed. Troy shook his head.

"No, she has work" Troy said.

"I'm sorry Gabi" Chad said putting his hand on her shoulder.

"It's okay. I have Troy and Lucille that are going to be with me" Gabriella said.

Troy smiled. He knew that Gabriella was trying to be strong and not think about Maria not being able to attend to the birth.

"Well, I know you are going to be taken care of" Chad said.

The couple and Chad talked for a little while longer. That night, Gabriella walked downstairs after taking a bath and went into the living room and sat next to Troy.

"How was your bath?" Troy asked.

"Relaxing" Gabriella said.

"You know, you don't have to put on a brave face about your mom not being here Brie" Troy said talking about the conversation that occurred earlier.

"If I don't put on a brave face, I won't stop crying" Gabriella mumbled.

Troy kissed Gabriella's lips softly. Gabriella kissed him back. She put her hand on the bottom of Troy's shirt and pulled away. Troy looked at his wife and smiled.

"Is it safe? I need you right now" Gabriella said.

Troy smiled. He leaned in and kissed Gabriella's lips softly, but passionately. Troy pulled away and nodded.

"It's safe, but we have to be careful. Are you sure you want to do this?" Troy asked.

Gabriella nodded. Troy stood up and took Gabriella's hands in his and helped her stand up. The couple walked upstairs. Clothes were discarded and they made love throughout the night. The next morning, Gabriella woke up and smiled. She snuggled into Troy's chest and kissed his neck softly. Troy's eyes fluttered open. He kissed Gabriella's swollen lips softly.

"I love you" Troy said.

"I love you too" Gabriella said.

"How are you feeling?" Troy asked.

"Fine" Gabriella said.

"Is he kicking like crazy in there?" Troy asked.

Gabriella nodded.

"I think he likes hearing your voice" Gabriella said.

Troy smiled. He placed his hand on Gabriella's bare stomach and felt his son kick his hand.

"Hi bud" Troy said kissing Gabriella's stomach.

Gabriella smiled.

"I can't believe that in two months he will be here" Troy said.

"I know. Did you pick out names for him?" Gabriella asked.

"Yeah, did you?" Troy asked.

"Yeah, can we put his name together today?" Gabriella asked.

"We can do that" Troy said.

An hour later, the couple was sitting up in bed talking about their son's name.

"Okay, so it's between Joshua Alexander and Benjamin Thomas" Troy concluded.

"Which one do you like the most?" Gabriella asked.

"I like Joshua Alexander. It has a nice ring to it" Troy said.

"I like it too. So is that going to be our son's name?" Gabriella asked.

"I guess it is. We can cross that off our list" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded.

"Are we going to tell everyone his name now or wait until he's born?" Gabriella asked.

"I think we should wait until he's born" Troy said.

"Then let's wait" Gabriella said.

Troy nodded. That afternoon, Gabriella had just finished her yoga session. She walked into the kitchen and sighed. Troy walked into the kitchen and saw Gabriella rubbing her stomach in soothing circles.

"How was yoga?" Troy asked.

"Tiring. I can't touch my toes anymore" Gabriella said.

Troy smiled.

"He's definitely a Bolton. We never stop growing" Troy said.

"Yeah, I have a doctor's appointment tomorrow at eleven. She's going to talk to us about the birth and all of that stuff" Gabriella said.

Troy nodded.

"Alright. Are you getting nervous about it?" Troy asked.

"Yeah, I know it's going to be painful" Gabriella said.

"You can always get an epidural babe" Troy said.

"I know, I am not scared of labor. I more scared of-" Gabriella started.

"Pushing him out" Troy finished.

Gabriella nodded. Troy smiled slightly. He took Gabriella's hand and led her into the living room and sat down on the couch.

"Talk to me about what you are scared of" Troy said.

"I'm scared of what you just said" Gabriella said.

"I am going to be there and so is mom. I know you are scared baby. Dr. Hart is going to make you feel as comfortable as you can get" Troy said.

"I am just scared of the pain that is going to come from it" Gabriella said.

"Don't think about the pain. Think about Josh and seeing his face for the first time. That will distract you from the pain" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded.

"I will be in labor for hours since it's our first child" Gabriella said.

Troy nodded.

"Yeah, but you can sleep, walk around, talk on the phone, and do a lot of other things that can keep you busy" Troy said.

"Well, I know contractions are painful so I know what to expect with labor" Gabriella said.

"False labor contractions are different than real ones" Troy said.

Gabriella shrugged. The rest of the day, the couple relaxed around the house. They couldn't wait to meet Josh in two months.


	11. Welcome To The World

The next day, Troy woke up and saw that Gabriella was no longer in bed. He got out of bed and walked into the living room and smiled when he saw her doing her daily yoga session. Troy walked into the kitchen and made himself a cup of coffee and walked into the living room and leaned against the door frame watching his wife.

"Looking good baby" Troy said sipping his coffee.

Gabriella looked up and smiled.

"How long have you been standing there?" Gabriella asked.

"Just enough time to see how much more sexy our son has made you" Troy said.

Gabriella blushed. Troy motioned to the television.

"I didn't mean to bother you. Finish your session" Troy said walking away.

Gabriella smiled and shook her head. She loved her husband with all her heart. A couple minutes later, Gabriella walked into the kitchen and to the table where Troy was sitting. She placed a kiss on Troy's shoulder.

"How was yoga?" Troy asked.

"Good, but I ache everywhere" Gabriella said putting her hand on her back.

Troy looked up and saw Gabriella's hand on her back. He put his hand on top of hers.

"Maybe you need to slow down on the yoga. Now that you only have two months to go" Troy said.

"But then what will I do to maintain my stress level?" Gabriella asked.

"You could still do it babe. Look up some yoga poses for pregnant women online. I'm sure there are plenty that people have found" Troy said.

"Maybe" Gabriella said.

"We need to start getting ready for your appointment" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded. The couple got dressed and left the house. Troy drove to Dr. Hart's office and parked his car. The couple walked into the office. Gabriella signed herself in and sat down next to Troy. A couple minutes later, a nurse came into the waiting room with a file.

"Gabriella Bolton?" the nurse called.

Troy stood up and offered Gabriella his hands and helped her stand up. He placed a kiss on Gabriella's lips and the couple walked over to the nurse and followed her into a small room, where Gabriella's vitals were taken. She then escorted the couple into an exam room.

"Change into this gown and Dr. Hart will be in shortly" the nurse said.

"Thank you" the couple said in unison.

The nurse left the room. Gabriella changed into the gown and sat on the exam table.

"Nervous?" Troy asked.

"A little bit. But, I'm okay" Gabriella said.

Troy smiled. He took Gabriella's hand in his and kissed her fingers.

"I'm right here" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded.

"I love you" Gabriella said putting her free hand on her stomach.

Troy smiled.

"I love you too baby girl" Troy said.

There was a knock on the door and Dr. Hart came into the room.

"Hi guys, how's everything going?" Dr. Hart asked.

"Fine" Gabriella said.

"How are you feeling Gabriella? Are you taking it easy?" Dr. Hart asked as she washed her hands.

"Yeah. I've been doing yoga every morning and trying not to stress out" Gabriella said.

"Good. How's the baby been doing?" Dr. Hart asked.

"He started kicking" Gabriella said.

Dr. Hart smiled.

"That's great. Do you want to see him today?" Dr. Hart asked.

The couple nodded. Gabriella lied down on the exam table and Dr. Hart put a blanket over her legs and raised her gown above her bump. She turned on the ultrasound and waited for it to heat up. A couple moments later, Dr. Hart took a bottle of gel and squeezed some of the product onto Gabriella's stomach. She then took a wand and moved the gel around. Dr. Hart looked at the monitor and stopped moving the wand. She pointed to the screen.

"There he is" Dr. Hart said.

The couple smiled.

"Is he healthy?" Gabriella asked.

"Yes, he's very healthy and getting big" Dr. Hart said.

Tears ran down Gabriella's cheeks. Troy quickly wiped them away. He kissed her head softly.

"I love you" Troy whispered.

Gabriella smiled.

"I love you too" Gabriella whispered.

Dr. Hart turned off the ultrasound and wiped the gel off of Gabriella's stomach.

"I'm going to go print these pictures for you and I'll be back" Dr. Hart said.

"Okay" Gabriella said.

Dr. Hart left the room. Gabriella sniffled and looked at her husband.

"How are you feeling?" Troy asked.

Gabriella smiled.

"Amazing. I can't wait to hold him" Gabriella said.

Troy smiled. He rubbed her shoulder, knowing that her hormones were going crazy. There was a knock on the door and Dr. Hart came back into the room. She gave the sonogram to Troy. Dr. Hart then looked at the couple.

"I need to examine you" Dr. Hart said.

"Okay" Gabriella said spreading her legs apart.

Troy took Gabriella's hand in his. Gabriella took a deep breath and closed her eyes. Troy pushed the hair that was covering Gabriella's eyes away from her face. Dr. Hart put on a fresh pair of gloves and sat at the foot of the table and looked at Gabriella.

"Alright Gabi, take a nice deep breath in for me" Dr. Hart said.

Troy took a deep breath as Gabriella did. He tried to get her to relax as much as possible. Dr. Hart examined Gabriella. A couple moments later, she looked up and threw her gloves away.

"He's coming down, which is a good sign" Dr. Hart said.

"But doesn't that mean he's going to come soon?" Gabriella asked.

"No, it just means he is starting to get ready to. He won't come down fully until you hit nine months" Dr. Hart said.

"Oh" Gabriella said sitting up.

Troy looked at Dr. Hart and then at Gabriella.

"Do you have any questions?" Dr. Hart asked.

"Yes" the couple said simultaneously.

"What's up?" Dr. Hart asked.

"About the delivery, how bad is the pain?" Gabriella said looking down, embarrassed.

Troy smiled.

"Only the woman would be able to put their pain on a scale. Everyone is different. You have the option of getting an epidural" Dr. Hart said.

Gabriella nodded.

"Is that all?" Dr. Hart asked.

Gabriella looked at Troy, who nodded. Dr. Hart left the room. The couple left the office and got into the car.

"Well, that didn't really answer my question" Gabriella said.

Troy pulled out of the driveway and started driving.

"What she said is true. It depends if you can tolerate pain or not" Troy said.

"We both know I can't so I guess the epidural is the way to go" Gabriella said.

Troy nodded.

"It's nothing to be embarrassed about babe. It's known to be one of the most painful experiences in a woman's life" Troy said.

Gabriella shrugged.

"I don't know" Gabriella said.

Troy drove into the driveway and parked his car. The couple got out of the car and walked into the house. Gabriella walked into the kitchen and went over to the refrigerator and pulled out an apple. She took a bite out of it. Troy walked into the kitchen and smiled.

"Are you going to catch him when he's born?" Gabriella asked randomly.

Troy looked at Gabriella confused.

"What?" Troy asked.

"When he's born, are you going to catch him and pull him out?" Gabriella asked.

Troy blinked. He never thought that would even be an option.

"Do you want me to? It's up to you" Troy said.

"I want you to" Gabriella said.

"Alright" Troy said.

Gabriella smiled. She kissed Troy's cheek softly.

"I can't believe you just asked me that" Troy said incredulously.

"Why can't you believe it?" Gabriella asked.

"I never thought that it would ever cross your mind" Troy said.

Gabriella shrugged.

"I mean you are a doctor. You've watched births before. This is our first child and I want you to be a part of the birth in some way using your expertise" Gabriella said.

Troy took a deep breath.

"If you are going to faint or something you don't-" Gabriella continued.

"Babe, I'll do it. I just have to prepare myself for it. You aren't just a regular patient. You are my wife" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded.

"We are opening a new chapter of our lives and I want the beginning of it to be special" Gabriella said.

Troy smiled and nodded, understanding her reasoning. He leaned in and kissed Gabriella's lips.

"We will make it special in our own way" Troy said.

A couple weeks later, Gabriella was eight months pregnant and very uncomfortable. She walked into the living room and saw Troy watching a movie. Gabriella walked over to her husband and sat down next to him.

"What are you watching?" Gabriella asked wrapping her arms as close as she could get them around Troy's waist, placing her head on his chest.

"A documentary. How are you feeling?" Troy asked.

"My back hurts" Gabriella said.

Troy kissed Gabriella's head softly.

"I'm sorry baby" Troy said.

"He's pounding on it like it's a trampoline" Gabriella said.

Troy put his hand on Gabriella's stomach and rubbed it in small circles.

"Josh, give your mommy a break. She's exhausted" Troy said.

Gabriella smiled.

"Have you talked to your mom?" Troy asked.

Gabriella shook her head.

"No. I don't want to talk to her right now. She's just going to cause me to get stressed out" Gabriella said.

Troy nodded.

"In a month, hopefully, she will come visit" Gabriella said.

Troy smiled slightly.

"Hopefully" Troy said.

"Have you talked to Chad?" Gabriella asked.

"No, have you talked to Taylor? Do you know if she's going to be at the hospital around your due date?" Troy asked.

"I talked to her. She said she may have work but doesn't know. Have you talked to your mom?" Gabriella asked.

"Yeah, she told me to call her once you went into labor so she can get here and we can all go to the hospital together" Troy said.

"Okay" Gabriella said.

"I can't believe that in a month we are finally going to meet him" Gabriella said.

Troy smiled and nodded.

"I know. I'm getting scared though. Like do I just start having contractions? Does my water just break?" Gabriella asked.

"It could happen in different ways. Your water could just break without having contractions, you could have contractions and then your water breaks, or just have contractions and Dr. Hart has to break your water" Troy explained.

Gabriella looked at Troy nervously.

"But we want my water to break on it's own right?" Gabriella asked.

"Yeah, that would be ideal" Troy said.

"What about contractions?" Gabriella asked.

"You could be having contractions and not feel them at all and then once they get closer together, you start to feel them. It can go several different ways" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded.

"I'll be here to help you. I don't want you to worry about that" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded.

"I love you" Gabriella said.

"I love you too. You will be fine sweetheart. You can't over think it or you will drive yourself crazy" Troy said.

"Yeah, but it's hard not to think about" Gabriella said.

The rest of the day, the couple talked about the birth. A couple weeks later, Gabriella was taking a nap. Her body was exhausted. She had hit nine months the day before and was waiting to go into labor, which Dr. Hart said that could happen any day now. She turned over in bed and her eyes flew open. In between her legs were wet. Gabriella's heart started pounding out of her chest. She took a deep breath and released it.

"Troy?" Gabriella called.

Troy walked into the bedroom.

"What's up baby?" Troy asked.

"My water broke I think. Unless I just urinated on myself" Gabriella said.

"Let me see" Troy said throwing off the blanket that covered Gabriella.

Troy saw the puddle of clear water on the bed and smiled.

"Your water did break. I'm going to call Dr. Hart okay?" Troy said calmly.

Gabriella nodded. Troy walked out of the room and called Gabriella's doctor. A couple minutes later, Troy came back into the room.

"She said to come to the hospital" Troy said.

"Okay" Gabriella said getting off the bed but then stopping.

Troy saw this and walked over to Gabriella and put his hand on her back. Gabriella was taking deep breaths.

"Good baby. Keep breathing okay?" Troy said as he rubbed Gabriella's back.

After the contraction ended, Gabriella relaxed and looked at Troy.

"Let's go" Gabriella said.

"Alright" Troy said picking up Gabriella's hospital bag.

The couple left the house and drove to the hospital. Gabriella had two contractions during the drive. Once they arrived at the hospital, Gabriella was escorted into a hospital room. The nurse had told her to change into a hospital gown. Gabriella leaned against the hospital bed and started breathing deeply. Troy rubbed Gabriella's back soothingly.

"You are doing great sweetheart. I'm so proud of you" Troy said.

"It hurts" Gabriella said in between a breath.

"I know it does. I know" Troy said.

Once the contraction passed, Gabriella relaxed and changed into the hospital gown. She got into the hospital bed and took a deep breath.

"Don't leave me" Gabriella said.

Troy put his hand on Gabriella's face and kissed her forehead.

"I'm not going anywhere. I am going to call my mom and tell her that you are in labor okay? Are you going to be okay for two minutes?" Troy asked.

Gabriella nodded.

"They are ten minutes apart. I have time. But, just hurry" Gabriella said.

"I'll call her as fast as I can" Troy said.

Troy stepped out of the hospital room and called his mother and told her that Gabriella was in labor. He walked back into the room and found Gabriella gripping onto the side of the bed and breathing through a contraction.

"Easy baby. Slow down your breathing" Troy said soothingly.

Gabriella slowed down her breathing. Once the contraction ended, she looked at Troy.

"When is Dr. Hart coming?" Gabriella asked.

"She should be coming in a little while" Troy said.

There was a knock on the door and a nurse, who was short and had dark long hair came into the room.

"Hi Gabriella, I'm Anna and I will be your nurse for labor and delivery. I called Dr. Hart and she said that she would come and check on you in a little while. But she wanted me to hook you up to a fetal monitor so that we can see how the baby is doing and dealing with labor and also wanted me to check and see if you are dilating" Anna said.

"Okay" Gabriella said.

Anna hooked Gabriella's up to a fetal monitor and the sound of their son's heartbeat filled the room.

"He sounds pretty good. Do you have a name for him?" Anna asked.

"Joshua Alexander, but Josh for short" Gabriella said.

"That's a nice name. I need to check you and see if you are dilating" Anna said positioning Gabriella's legs.

"Okay" Gabriella said painfully.

"Are you having a contraction babe?" Troy asked.

Gabriella nodded and started breathing deeply. Troy rubbed Gabriella's leg, trying to get her to relax. Once it passed, Gabriella sighed.

"Is it over?" Troy asked.

Gabriella nodded.

"Alright. Let me check you and see where you are at" Anna said putting on a pair of latex gloves.

There was a knock on the door and Lucille Bolton poked her head in and smiled. Troy looked up and smiled.

"Hi mom" Troy said.

"Hi, how are you feeling Gabi?" Lucille asked kissing her daughter-in-law's cheek.

Gabriella put a finger up. Anna checked Gabriella and looked up.

"You are at two centimeters Gabriella. You have a long way to go" Anna said.

Gabriella nodded. Anna put a blanket over Gabriella's legs.

"Dr. Hart will come in once she gets here. If you need anything, press the call button" Anna said.

"Alright" Gabriella said.

Gabriella took Troy's hand in hers and squeezed it. She started breathing deeply. Troy rubbed his wife's back soothingly.

"Just breathe sweetie. You are doing great" Troy said.

Once the contraction passed, Gabriella looked at Lucille and smiled.

"Hi mom" Gabriella said.

"Hi honey, how are you feeling?" Lucille asked sitting in a chair on the opposite side of Troy.

"It's so painful" Gabriella cried.

"You are doing so well. Everything's going to be okay" Lucille said.

Troy kissed Gabriella's head softly.

"I love you so much" Troy said.

"I love you too" Gabriella mumbled.

"We are going to see him soon baby. We have waited for this day for so long" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded. Hours passed and Gabriella's contractions got closer together. She and Troy had just left to take a walk around the floor in hopes to get things to progress. The couple walked to the end of the hallway and Gabriella stopped.

"Troy?" Gabriella said painfully.

"I'm here sweetheart" Troy said as Gabriella wrapped her arms around her husband and breathed through her contraction.

Troy would kiss Gabriella's head and rub her back as she had a contraction to help her relax. Once the contraction passed, Gabriella looked at Troy tiredly.

"I'm so tired" Gabriella cried.

"I know honey, I know. But you are almost half way done. Let's go back to the room so you can rest okay?" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded. The couple walked back to the hospital room. Gabriella got back into the hospital bed and Troy hooked Gabriella back up to the monitors. There was a knock on the door and Dr. Hart came into the room.

"Hi guys. How are you feeling Gabi?" Dr. Hart asked.

"A lot of pain" Gabriella said putting her hand on her bump.

"I need to check you and see how much you have changed okay?" Dr. Hart said.

Gabriella nodded. She spread her legs apart and Dr. Hart checked Gabriella.

"You are progressing well. You are at five centimeters. Do you want an epidural?" Dr. Hart asked.

Gabriella looked at Troy, who smiled at her.

"Yes" Gabriella said.

"Okay, let me call the anesthesiologist and he should be up here shortly okay?" Dr. Hart said.

Gabriella nodded. Dr. Hart left and Gabriella cursed under breath.

"Troy, can't you do this for me?" Gabriella cried as another contraction came.

"I wish I could baby. I wish I could. You are doing so well. Just keep breathing" Troy said as he put pressure on Gabriella's lower back and tried to ease the pain of the contraction.

Gabriella breathed through the contraction and relaxed when it ended.

"I'm so proud of you Brie. You are going to bring our baby into the world" Troy said.

"Not if the pain kills me first" Gabriella said.

"The anesthesiologist should be here soon and we will get you your epidural okay?" Troy said softly.

Gabriella whimpered. Troy kissed Gabriella's forehead softly and put his hand on Gabriella's lower back.

"Just close your eyes and focus on your breathing. Can you do that for me?" Troy asked.

"Your doctor skills are coming out" Gabriella said.

Troy smiled.

"Did you hear me?" Troy asked.

Gabriella nodded.

"Okay" Gabriella said answering his previous question.

Gabriella closed her eyes and focused on breathing like Troy told her to do. A couple minutes later, there was a knock on the door and a tall, dark haired man, who was probably in his forties came into the room.

"Hi Gabriella, I'm Shawn and will be administering your epidural" Shawn said.

"Hi Shawn" Gabriella said.

"I need you to sit up and lean against your husband okay?" Shawn instructed.

Troy and Shawn helped Gabriella sit on the edge of the bed, with her body leaning against Troy. Troy had his hands on Gabriella's lower back and was applying pressure so that she wouldn't feel as much pain.

"Gabriella, you need to sit completely still okay?" Shawn said.

"Okay" Gabriella said balling up Troy's shirt in her hands and squeezing it.

Shawn inserted the epidural and helped her lie on her side on the bed. He then left the couple.

"You should feel something in about twenty minutes" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded.

"Lucille?" Gabriella called.

"Yes honey?" Lucille asked.

"Can you call my mom and tell her that I'm in labor? I know that it won't make a difference if I call her or not, but she deserves to know" Gabriella said.

Lucille smiled.

"Of course sweetheart. Close those pretty eyes of yours and get some rest okay?" Lucille said.

Gabriella nodded.

"Thank you for being here" Gabriella said.

"You are most welcome Gabi" Lucille said.

Troy smiled. Gabriella closed her eyes and waited for the epidural to take effect. Twenty minutes later, Gabriella's body relaxed. Troy noticed and smiled. Gabriella's eyes were still closed. He looked over at his mother.

"I think the epidural took effect. She's asleep" Troy said.

Lucille nodded.

"Thank you for being here mom. Honestly, I can't thank you enough for being here for her" Troy whispered.

Lucille nodded.

"She's not just my daughter-in-law. She's my daughter. If she needs me, she knows exactly where to find me" Lucille said.

Troy smiled and nodded. Forty-five minutes later, Gabriella opened her eyes. Troy was reading a magazine and put it down when he saw his wife looking at him.

"Hey sweetheart. How are you feeling?" Troy asked.

"Much better" Gabriella said quietly.

"Good. I'm so proud of you Brie. I really am. You are going through this like a champ" Troy said.

"I couldn't have gone through it without you and mom" Gabriella said softly.

Troy smiled.

"I'm still scared to push him out" Gabriella said.

"Don't think about it right now. Just rest. You need your energy" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded.

"I love you" Gabriella said.

Troy smiled.

"I love you too. Do you feel any pressure or pain?" Troy asked.

"No pain. But I do feel a little bit of pressure" Gabriella said.

Troy nodded.

"You are going to feel more of that as time goes on. Mom called your mother and told her that you are in labor" Troy said.

"Okay" Gabriella said.

"It's the last day of just you and me. Our baby is coming" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded.

"I think I'm going to go back to sleep" Gabriella said.

Troy nodded.

"Okay baby. Let me know if you need anything" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded tiredly. A couple hours later, Gabriella had been in labor for almost fifteen hours. She woke up from her nap and saw Troy no longer sitting next to her. But found Lucille reading a book.

"Where did Troy go?" Gabriella asked.

"He just went to take a walk honey. He will be back soon" Lucille said.

"Oh" Gabriella said.

"How are you feeling?" Lucille asked.

"I feel more pressure" Gabriella said.

"That's a good sign" Lucille said.

Troy walked back into the room and sat down in his previous seat.

"How are you feeling baby?" Troy asked.

"I am starting to feel more pressure" Gabriella said.

"Good. That's what we want" Troy said.

There was a knock on the door and Dr. Hart came into the room.

"Hi guys. Gabi, I need to check you" Dr. Hart said putting on a pair of gloves.

Gabriella tried to move her legs but was unable to. Troy chuckled.

"Need some help?" Troy asked.

"It's not funny" Gabriella said innocently.

Troy smiled. He and Dr. Hart separated Gabriella's legs. Dr. Hart checked Gabriella and smiled.

"You are eight" Dr. Hart said.

Gabriella looked at Troy, who smiled at her.

"If you feel a strong urge to push, call Anna okay?" Dr. Hart said.

Gabriella nodded. Dr. Hart left the room. Troy kissed Gabriella's stomach.

"Alright little man, don't be difficult coming out okay? I love you Josh" Troy said.

Gabriella smiled. An hour later, Gabriella had her eyes closed and was trying to rest when she moaned in pain. Troy looked at his wife. Gabriella opened her eyes and looked at Troy.

"I need to push" Gabriella said.

"Okay, just relax baby. Don't push yet. Let me call Anna" Troy said pressing the call button.

Anna came into the room and smiled.

"Hi Gabriella, let me check you okay?" Anna said.

Troy separated Gabriella's legs apart. Anna checked Gabriella and smiled.

"You are fully dilated. Can you feel the contractions more?" Anna asked.

"I just need to push" Gabriella said.

Troy put his hand on Gabriella's stomach and rubbed it in soothing circles.

"Just breathe sweetheart" Troy said

"Alright, let's try a couple pushes okay?" Anna said.

"Okay" Gabriella said.

"Take a deep breath in, and push Gabriella" Anna said.

Gabriella followed Anna's instructions and pushed as hard as she could. She cried in pain.

"Come on Brie, push" Troy said encouraging his wife.

Gabriella fell back against the bed.

"Good job, Gabriella. Do you want to push again?" Anna asked.

Gabriella nodded.

"Alright, take a deep breath and push" Anna said.

Gabriella pushed again and cried.

"You are doing so well baby" Troy said.

Gabriella fell back against the bed and tried to regain her breathing.

"Just relax. Take a deep breath in and release it" Troy said rubbing Gabriella's leg.

"You are doing so well Gabriella. Can you do one more before Dr. Hart comes in?" Anna asked.

"I'll try" Gabriella said tiredly.

"Okay. Take a deep breath and push" Anna said.

Gabriella pushed hard and then fell back against the bed. Tears ran down her face. Troy wiped his wife's tears away.

"Good job sweetheart" Troy said.

There was a knock on the door and Dr. Hart came into the room.

"Gabriella, are you ready to bring your baby into the world?" Dr. Hart asked as she put a pair of gloves on.

"Yeah" Gabriella said tiredly.

More nurses came into the room and started setting up equipment. Gabriella started getting scared. She looked over at Lucille. Lucille looked at Gabriella and got the message completely. She took Gabriella's hand in hers.

"We are going to do this together okay? You are going to bring my grandson into the world" Lucille said.

Gabriella nodded. Lucille pushed the sweaty hair out of Gabriella's face. Gabriella leaned her head back against the bed.

"I need to push" Gabriella said.

Dr. Hart smiled.

"Alright Gabi, give me a big push" Dr. Hart said.

Gabriella took a deep breath and pushed. She screamed and squeezed her eyes shut as she pushed. Once the contraction ended, she fell back against the bed.

"Good job baby. That was a good one" Troy said.

"I can see the baby's head. Give me a couple more pushes Gabriella" Dr. Hart said.

Gabriella took a deep breath and pushed. Tears ran down her face and she leaned her head back against the bed as she pushed. Once the contraction ended, Dr. Hart looked at Gabriella.

"He's crowning. Troy, are you ready?" Dr. Hart asked.

Troy nodded. He kissed Gabriella's sweaty forehead. Troy let go of Gabriella's hand and walked to where Dr. Hart was sitting in front of Gabriella.

"Baby, he's right here okay? Just a couple more pushes and he will be out" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded incoherently.

"Do you want to push Gabi?" Dr. Hart asked.

Gabriella nodded.

"Alright. We will do it on my count okay?" Troy said.

"Okay" Gabriella said tiredly.

Troy counted and Gabriella pushed. She ignored all of the encouraging words that everyone was telling her and just pushed. Gabriella fell back against the bed.

Troy smiled.

"That was good sweetheart. Push one more time for me and he will be out" Troy said.

"I can't Troy. I'm too tired" Gabriella said breathlessly.

"Sure you can Brie. I know you are tired honey. But we are so close to our baby" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded.

"I'm ready" Gabriella said.

Troy smiled.

"Okay, one more push" Troy said.

Gabriella took a deep breath and pushed. She felt the baby leave her body. Troy smiled and put their son on Gabriella's chest.

"He's here babe" Troy said.

Gabriella looked down at her son and couldn't do anything but cry.

"Oh my god" Gabriella said.

"I'm so proud of you honey. You did great" Lucille said.

"What's his name?" Dr. Hart asked.

"Joshua Alexander Bolton" Troy said proudly.

Gabriella kissed her son's head softly.

"Welcome to the world Josh" Gabriella said.

Troy and Gabriella were so happy that their son was here safe and sound.


	12. Safe and Sound

Gabriella looked down at her son and smiled. Tears ran down her cheeks. She looked up and saw Troy wiping away tears from his own eyes. The couple couldn't believe that Josh was here. Troy cut the cord and smiled.

"You did amazing baby. I knew you could do it" Troy said kissing Gabriella's lips.

"Gabi, you need to push again so the placenta can be delivered" Dr. Hart said.

Gabriella took a deep breath and pushed gently.

"It's out. You did great Gabriella" Dr. Hart said.

Anna looked at Gabriella.

"We need to take him and get him looked at by a pediatrician" Anna said picking up Josh and bringing to the newborn area of the delivery room.

Gabriella smiled and nudged Troy. Troy looked at Gabriella.

"Go and make sure our son is okay, Dr. Bolton" Gabriella said.

Troy looked at Gabriella in shock. The nurses and Dr. Hart laughed.

"Are you saying that you want me to be his pediatrician?" Troy asked.

Gabriella nodded. Troy smiled. He walked over to his son and immediately started doing assessments. A couple minutes later, Troy carried their son, who was now dressed in a onesie and beanie, back to Gabriella. He placed Josh into Gabriella's arms.

"What are his stats?" Lucille asked.

"We got a six pound and nine ounce baby boy" Troy said sitting down in his previous seat.

Gabriella smiled. She looked down at Josh and kissed his head softly. Gabriella looked up at Troy.

"So he is healthy?" Gabriella confirmed.

"Yes, very" Troy said.

"Good" Gabriella said.

Troy leaned over and kissed his son's head softly.

"Let grandma hold him" Troy said.

Lucille smiled and wiped a tear away that was running down her cheek. Gabriella carefully placed Josh into her mother-in-law's arms. Lucille looked down at the newborn and smiled.

"He looks like Troy did as a newborn" Lucille said.

Troy smiled. The couple and Lucille talked for a little while, until they told Lucille that she needed to go home and get some rest. Once she left, Troy looked at his wife, who was looking at their son.

"How do you feel mommy?" Troy asked.

Gabriella smiled.

"I can't stop looking at him. I can't believe I'm a mom" Gabriella said.

Troy smiled.

"When I was running my tests on him, I looked down at him and realized that this was my son that I was looking at it. I almost broke down. I couldn't believe he was here" Troy said.

Gabriella smiled. She moved over in the bed and patted the open space.

"Get up here, Troy" Gabriella said.

Troy got up and lied down in the open space on the hospital bed. He kissed Gabriella's head softly.

"I love you" Troy said.

"I love you too. So much" Gabriella said looking at her husband.

Gabriella carefully placed Josh into Troy's arms. Troy looked down at his son and smiled.

"He is perfect" Troy said.

Gabriella leaned her head against Troy's shoulder and nodded.

"Are you going to breastfeed or do you want to bottle-feed him?" Troy asked.

"What would you recommend?" Gabriella asked.

Troy looked at Gabriella and smiled.

"Breast milk is good for infant's development. But it's up to you. It can get exhausting after a while. But, you will lose the baby weight faster because you are burning hundreds of calories by doing it" Troy explained.

"Then I will breastfeed him" Gabriella said.

Troy nodded.

"Tomorrow I'll get the lactation nurse to come in and show you how and give you more details" Troy said.

"Okay" Gabriella said.

"Maybe you should try and get some sleep sweetheart. You have had a long day" Troy said.

"I just want to look at him. I'm still in shock" Gabriella said.

Troy smiled.

"He will be here tomorrow morning when you wake up" Troy said.

"Okay" Gabriella said.

"I need to take him to the nursery. He can't stay in here during the night" Troy said.

"Okay" Gabriella said.

Troy got off the bed. Gabriella kissed her son's head softly.

"Bye baby" Gabriella said.

Troy smiled. Gabriella carefully placed Josh into Troy's arms. Troy carefully placed his son into rolling crib that the hospital had put next to the hospital bed. He kissed Josh's head softly.

"I will be back in two minutes" Troy said.

"Alright" Gabriella said.

Troy rolled the crib out of the room and checked his son into the newborn care unit. He walked back to Gabriella's hospital room and knocked on the door and poked his head in. Gabriella smiled.

"You don't have to knock babe" Gabriella said.

"I know. I am just used to it" Troy said walking into the room and closing the door behind him.

"Is he all checked in?" Gabriella asked.

"Yeah, he's fine. How are you feeling?" Troy asked.

"Sore" Gabriella said.

Troy smiled.

"That's normal. The soreness should go away in a couple days" Troy said.

Troy lied down next to Gabriella and entwined their fingers together.

"We are parents" Troy said stating the obvious.

Gabriella nodded.

"How are you feeling daddy?" Gabriella asked.

Troy smiled.

"Amazing. As soon as I saw him crowning, I just felt this change in me. I felt like a dad" Troy said.

Gabriella smiled.

"That was an experience that I will never forget. I caught my child when he was born, how many people can say that?" Troy asked rhetorically.

"Not very many" Gabriella said.

"I'll call everybody later today and tell them that you had the baby" Troy said.

"Are you going to call my mom?" Gabriella asked.

"Do you want me to or do you want to do that?" Troy asked.

"You can do it. I don't feel like arguing with her or hearing an excuse" Gabriella said.

"Alright. Hey, why don't you get some sleep? You've almost been up for a full twenty-four hours" Troy said looking at the clock which read five-thirty AM.

"Okay" Gabriella said.

Troy leaned in and kissed Gabriella's lips softly, but passionately.

"I love you so much baby and I am so unbelievably proud of you" Troy said.

"I love you too. Thanks for being the best husband through this whole pregnancy. I know it hasn't been easy. I couldn't have picked a better pediatrician for Josh" Gabriella said putting her hand on Troy's now stubble cheek.

Troy smiled.

"You don't need to thank me for that sweetheart" Troy said.

"Yes I do" Gabriella said.

"Well, you are most welcome. Now, get some sleep okay? Doctor's orders" Troy joked.

Gabriella giggled. The couple fell asleep with smiles on their faces. They were so happy that their son was here. A couple hours later, Gabriella woke up and looked around the room. She sat up in the hospital bed and didn't see Troy. There was a knock on the door and Troy poked his head in.

"Good morning baby" Troy said.

"Good morning" Gabriella said.

"I'm going to bring Josh in here in a minute okay?" Troy said.

"Okay" Gabriella said.

Troy closed the door. As promised, a minute later Troy opened the door and rolled Josh into the room. Gabriella smiled. Troy parked the crib next to the hospital bed.

"Good morning baby boy" Gabriella said.

Troy picked Josh up and placed him into Gabriella's arms.

"How did he do in the nursery?" Gabriella asked.

"The nurses said that he was fine. He didn't give them any problems" Troy said.

Gabriella smiled and kissed her son's head.

"Good" Gabriella said.

"The lactation nurse will be coming in at ten" Troy said.

"Okay. Can you call everybody?" Gabriella asked.

"Yeah" Troy said.

Troy called their families and told them that the Gabriella had Josh. He looked at Gabriella and smiled.

"I'm going to call your mom" Troy said.

"Okay" Gabriella said.

Troy dialed Maria's number and waited for her to answer.

"Hello?" Maria answered.

"Hi Maria, it's Troy" Troy said.

"Hi Troy, how's it going?" Maria asked.

"I wanted to call you and tell you that Gabriella had the baby" Troy said.

"How is she?" Maria asked.

"Gabs is fine. She did great" Troy said.

"Can I talk to her?" Maria asked.

"She's talking to nurses right now" Troy said looking at Gabriella, who nodded.

"Oh, what's his name?" Maria asked referring to their son.

"Joshua Alexander Bolton" Troy said proudly.

"That's a nice name. Tell Gabriella that I love her and congratulations for me" Maria said.

"I will" Troy said.

Maria and Troy hung up. Gabriella looked at Troy.

"What did she say?" Gabriella asked.

"She wanted me to tell you that she loves you and congratulations" Troy said.

"Oh" Gabriella said.

"She wanted to talk to you but I gave her an excuse as to why you couldn't talk" Troy said.

"Thank you. I'm just really happy right now and I don't want to talk to her and make me get off of this happiness high that I have" Gabriella said.

"I understand" Troy said looking at Josh, who had fallen asleep in Gabriella's arms.

An hour later, there was a knock on the door and a woman, who had long blonde hair and probably in her mid-thirties came into the room.

"Hi Gabriella. I'm Amy, the lactation nurse. Hi Dr. Bolton, how are you?" Amy asked.

"I'm good Amy, how's it going? They moved you to lactation?" Troy asked.

"I'm doing pretty well. Yeah. They had me in labor and delivery but then moved me here" Amy said.

"Wow" Troy said.

"Is this your first baby?" Amy asked.

"Yes" the couple said.

"He's adorable" Amy said.

"Thank you" Gabriella said.

"Alright. You wanted to breast feed him right?" Amy asked.

"Yeah" Gabriella said.

Amy taught Gabriella how to breastfeed and left the room, once she got the hang of it. Gabriella looked down at Josh, who was eating his morning meal.

"Does it feel okay?" Troy asked.

"He's pulling but Amy had said that it was normal" Gabriella said.

Troy nodded.

"But it makes my body feel uncomfortable" Gabriella said putting her free hand on her stomach.

"That's normal sweetheart" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded. Josh pulled away from Gabriella and patted his back gently until he burped. She then readjusted her gown so that no cleavage was showing.

"When can I go home?" Gabriella asked.

"Probably tomorrow, but I need to check him and make sure everything is okay" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded.

"Dr. Hart also needs to check you and see if the tears are healing" Troy said.

"Tears?" Gabriella asked.

"When you pushed him out, there was a lot of stretching. A lot of women have small tears after they give birth. She just needs to see if they are healing nicely and if they are, she will send you home" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded.

"Was his head that big?" Gabriella asked.

"His head was big. It is in the normal range but it's big" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded and sighed. She looked down at Josh and saw that he was sleeping. The next day, Gabriella and Josh were released from the hospital. They drove home and walked into the house. Gabriella carried Josh into the living room and sat down on the couch with her son in her arms. Troy walked into the room and sat next to her.

"I'm so happy to be home" Gabriella said.

Troy smiled.

"I bet" Troy said.

Josh started to cry.

"Hey, what's the matter baby?" Gabriella asked looking down at Josh.

"I think he needs a diaper change. Here, give him to me and I will change him" Troy said grabbing Josh's diaper bag.

Gabriella placed Josh into Troy's arms. Troy sat down on the ground and took off Josh's diaper.

"Yeah, now I can see why you were crying buddy" Troy said.

Troy changed Josh's diaper and put his clothes back on him. He lifted his son into his arms. Josh's cries stopped.

"All better" Troy said kissing his son's head softly.

Gabriella smiled.

"Should we call everyone and tell them to come over?" Gabriella asked.

"Do you want to? It's up to you" Troy said.

"I feel fine. I'm just a little tired" Gabriella said.

"Why don't you take a little nap and then after you wake up we will call them? I'll watch him" Troy said.

"Okay" Gabriella said.

Gabriella kneeled down and kissed Troy's lips softly. Troy pulled back slowly and kissed her again. Gabriella then kissed Josh's head softly.

"I love you" Gabriella said looking at her husband.

"I love you too" Troy said.

Gabriella got up and went to the bedroom and took a nap. An hour later, Gabriella got up and saw Troy bouncing Josh in his arms as he cried. She walked into the living room and smiled.

"He just started crying. I checked his diaper and he doesn't need to be changed so I am assuming that he's hungry" Troy explained.

"Alright. Hi baby, let's eat" Gabriella said taking her son out of Troy's arms.

Gabriella walked into the living room and sat down on the couch. She pulled down her shirt and bra and placed Josh to her breast and watched him latch on. Gabriella smiled when she saw her son start to devour his afternoon meal. Troy walked into the living room.

"Oh, sorry. I didn't know he was still eating" Troy said walking out of the room.

"Babe, come back here" Gabriella said.

Troy came back into the living room.

"You can stay if you want. You don't need to leave" Gabriella said.

"It's just that breastfeeding is usually a private thing and I didn't know how you felt about it" Troy said.

Gabriella smiled at Troy's thoughtfulness.

"Well, you can stay. There may be times when I don't want you to see me breastfeeding but right now, you can stay" Gabriella said.

"Alright" Troy said.

Gabriella looked down at Josh, who was still eating his meal. She smiled. A couple minutes later, Josh finished eating. Gabriella patted Josh's back until he burped.

"There you go. Baby, do you want to take him?" Gabriella asked.

Troy smiled and nodded. He put his arms out and Gabriella placed Josh into Troy's arms. Gabriella kissed Troy's cheek softly.

"That's a good look for you" Gabriella said.

Troy smiled. He looked down at Josh and smiled when he let out a little yawn.

"I think he's a little tired" Troy said.

"Should we put him into his crib or the play pen?" Gabriella asked.

"I think for right now, we should put him in the play pen. Maybe in a couple months we could transition him over to the crib" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded.

"If you are breastfeeding, you are going to want to be close to him and not have to walk down the hall and get him" Troy said.

"True" Gabriella said.

"So do you want him to be in his play pen?" Troy asked.

"Yeah, let's put him in there" Gabriella said.

Troy stood up carefully and walked into the bedroom and placed Josh into the playpen and put a blanket over him. He looked down at his son and smiled.

"Have a good nap bud. I love you" Troy said.

Troy left the room. The couple was so happy that Josh was home safe and sound.


	13. Surprise!

That night, Josh's cries filled the house at three AM. Gabriella woke up and walked over to the play pen and picked Josh up. She walked into the living room and sat down on the couch. Gabriella pulled down her shirt and brought Josh to her breast. Josh latched on and ate his meal. She heard footsteps and saw Troy walk into the living room.

"He's hungry?" Troy asked.

"Yeah, he gets that from you" Gabriella said.

Troy smiled. He rubbed his eyes. A few minutes later, Josh pulled away from Gabriella.

"All done" Gabriella said.

"Here, I will burp him and you go get cleaned up" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded. She walked into the bedroom and changed her shirt. Gabriella came back into the room and saw that Troy was patting Josh's back. When he finally burped, Troy smiled.

"Alright, let's go put him down" Troy said.

"Okay" Gabriella said.

The couple walked back into the bedroom. Troy placed Josh in his play pen carefully. He made sure that Josh wasn't going to cry. When he didn't cry, Troy got back into bed. Gabriella snuggled into Troy's chest and fell asleep. Two hours later, Josh cried again. Gabriella moaned in her sleep. She woke up and saw Troy already picking Josh up.

"You ate two hours ago buddy" Troy said tiredly.

"He probably needs his diaper changed. I'll change it" Gabriella said.

Troy placed their son in Gabriella's arms. Gabriella grabbed a diaper and quickly changed Josh's diaper. She then picked her son up and kissed his cheek. Gabriella placed Josh back into the play pen and watched him fall asleep.

"Is he asleep?" Troy asked.

Gabriella nodded. She got back into bed. The couple fell asleep. A couple hours later, Troy woke up and saw Gabriella sleeping. He smiled and leaned over and kissed her cheek softly. Troy got out of bed and saw Josh moving in the play pen. He walked over to the play pen and lifted Josh into his arms. Troy walked out of the bedroom and went into the living room and sat down on the couch and placed Josh on his chest.

"Let's let mommy sleep okay bud? She was up all night" Troy said looking down at the newborn.

A couple hours later, Gabriella woke up and saw that Troy was not in bed and that Josh was not in his play pen. She got up and walked out of the room and into the living room and smiled.

"Good morning" Gabriella said.

Troy looked at Gabriella's tired body and smiled.

"Morning baby" Troy said.

"When did he wake up?" Gabriella asked as she sat next to her husband.

"He woke up around eight" Troy said.

"You should have woken me up so I could have fed him" Gabriella said.

"I wanted you to sleep. You needed it. You just had a baby, Brie. You need rest" Troy said.

Gabriella smiled.

"Thanks for letting me sleep. Did you change his diaper?" Gabriella asked.

"Yeah, I have no idea who he got it from but, inside those diapers are explosives" Troy said.

Gabriella giggled.

"Probably from your side of the family" Gabriella said.

Troy looked at Gabriella and smiled.

"Ha ha. Very funny" Troy said kissing Gabriella's lips.

Gabriella opened her arms and Troy placed Josh into her arms. She pulled down her shirt and brought Josh to her breast and watched him latch on.

"Do you like breastfeeding him?" Troy asked.

Gabriella nodded.

"Yeah, I feel closer to him. I feel weird that he isn't inside of me anymore" Gabriella said.

Troy smiled. He knew that there was a strong bond between mothers that breastfeed and their children.

"Yeah but aren't you happy that you can see and touch him? If he was inside your belly, you wouldn't be able to do that" Troy said.

"I won't get to feel him kick anymore" Gabriella said wiping a tear that was running down her cheek.

Troy smiled.

"Sweetheart, it's okay. We can get him to kick you out here if you want" Troy joked.

Gabriella laughed through her tears.

"I don't even know why I'm crying" Gabriella said.

"It's the hormones babe. They are trying to go back to normal now that he's out" Troy said.

"More mood swings?" Gabriella asked.

Troy nodded.

"Unfortunately, yes. But it's only for a short period of time" Troy said.

"Oh" Gabriella said.

"I love you" Troy said.

Gabriella smiled.

"I love you too" Gabriella said wiping the remaining tears from her eyes.

"My mom texted me and asked when dad can come and meet Josh" Troy said.

"They can come see him today if they want" Gabriella said.

"Alright. I'll let her know. Have you heard from your mom?" Troy asked.

"No. She probably is too busy" Gabriella said looking down at Josh.

Troy sighed. He kissed Gabriella's head softly.

"Baby, do you want to talk about it?" Troy asked looking at Josh, who had pulled away from Gabriella.

Troy took Josh out of Gabriella's arms and patted his back until he burped.

"Nope" Gabriella said cleaning herself up.

"What can I do that would make you feel better?" Troy asked.

Gabriella looked at Troy and smiled. She leaned over and kissed her husband's lips softly.

"You don't have to do anything baby. Thanks for asking though. I just feel like she doesn't want to be a part of Josh's life. Does she think that I want that for him? Because I don't. My dad is already not here and won't get to be a part of Josh's life. I don't need my mom to do that too when she can easily fly to visit and see him" Gabriella said.

Troy nodded. He knew that Gabriella was realizing that her late father wouldn't get to meet their son and that it hurt her.

"He would have loved him" Troy said.

Gabriella smiled and nodded.

"Yeah, he would have. What are we going to do about this?" Gabriella asked.

"Brie, there isn't anything you can do. Your mom made a choice and she has to live with the consequences that it comes with. If she wants to fly down and meet him, then that's great. But we shouldn't have to feel bad that she is missing out on her grandson's life when she could easily come and visit" Troy explained.

Gabriella nodded.

"We get to experience his life together because we are going to make the time to do so" Troy continued.

Gabriella nodded. A couple weeks later, the couple had set a schedule for Josh. Troy had gone back to work and Gabriella didn't need to go back until next week. One day, Troy unlocked the door and walked into the house.

"Babe? I'm home" Troy said.

"In the bedroom. Can you wait in the living room for me?" Gabriella asked.

Troy smiled knowing why Gabriella had asked him to wait in the living room.

"Take your time Brie" Troy said walking into the living room and sitting down on the couch.

Twenty minutes later, Gabriella came out of the bedroom and walked into the living room holding, Josh.

"Hey buddy" Troy said taking Josh out of Gabriella's arms.

"Sorry. I just wanted to feed him alone" Gabriella said.

Troy smiled.

"Don't apologize. I get it. You don't want to be exposed all the time. If I had to breast feed, I would feel the same way" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded.

"It's just becoming more of a job than anything else. I have to constantly be feeding him. My boobs are always squirting milk everywhere. I don't look good. I'm exhausted" Gabriella rambled.

Troy's face softened.

"Baby, baby, baby. You don't even know how sexy you look. Seeing you take care of Josh the way that you do, makes you even more attractive and that's the truth. I know you are tired sweetheart. We knew that this was going to be exhausting at the beginning. Hopefully, his schedule will help with that. We can get more sleep" Troy said.

Gabriella sighed.

"How was work?" Gabriella asked.

"Fine. So many screaming kids today" Troy said.

Gabriella sighed.

"And you came home to one too" Gabriella said.

Troy smiled.

"How was he today?" Troy asked looking down at the infant.

"He ate a lot and didn't sleep at all, which resulted in him crying for the majority of the day" Gabriella said tiredly.

"And how are you feeling?" Troy asked.

"Tired. My boobs hurt and are leaking milk everywhere" Gabriella said.

"Why don't you take a nap and I will watch him? We are going to be up tonight anyway so you might as well get some sleep while you can" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded.

"Thank you" Gabriella said.

Troy smiled. He leaned in and kissed Gabriella's lips.

"I love you" Troy said.

"I love you too" Gabriella said.

Gabriella walked into the bedroom and lied down on the bed and fell asleep. Troy was in the living room with Josh. He looked down at his son and smiled.

"Why did you have to give mommy a hard time today buddy? You know she's tired" Troy said.

Josh started to cry. Troy sighed. He bounced up and down slowly, in hopes to calm his son down.

"Sh... Josh. You are okay. Let's check your diaper out" Troy said as he grabbed the diaper bag that was sitting on the couch.

Troy sat down on the floor and placed Josh down in front of him. He unfastened his son's diaper and nodded.

"Now, I see why you were crying" Troy said.

Troy changed Josh's diaper quickly and put his clothes back on. He lifted his son into his arms and swayed back and forth and looked down at his son, whose eyes started to close. Troy smiled. The doorbell rang and Josh woke up and started to cry.

"Come on, let's go yell at whoever woke you up from your sleep" Troy said walking to the front door with Josh in his arms.

Troy opened the door and saw Maria. His mouth dropped open in shock.

"Mom, what are you doing here?" Troy asked.

Maria giggled.

"I wanted to surprise you all" Maria said.

Maria walked into the house and went into the living room.

"Meet your grandson, Joshua Alexander Bolton" Troy said placing his son into Maria's arms.

"He looks like you. He has Gabi's hair though" Maria said.

Troy nodded.

"Gabs is going to have a heart attack when she sees you" Troy said.

Maria smiled.

"Where is she?" Maria asked.

"She's sleeping. But let me go see if she woke up" Troy said.

Troy walked into the bedroom and saw Gabriella's eyes flutter open.

"Hey baby girl, how was your nap?" Troy asked kissing Gabriella's lips.

"Much needed" Gabriella said.

"I think Josh is hungry" Troy said.

"Okay" Gabriella said.

The couple walked out of the bedroom. Troy walked slowly as Gabriella walked past him and into the living room. Once Gabriella entered the living room, her hand immediately covered her mouth and her eyes filled with tears.

"Mom" Gabriella said breathlessly.

"Surprise" Maria said sweetly.

"What are you doing here?" Gabriella asked.

"I came to meet my grandson" Maria said.

Gabriella choked out a sob. Troy rubbed Gabriella's back soothingly. The couple sat down on the couch.

"I wanted to surprise you and Troy and come meet this little one" Maria said looking down at Josh in her arms.

Gabriella looked at Troy, who looked at Gabriella and smiled. He nodded.

"How long are you staying?" Gabriella asked.

"A week. They gave me a week off because I hadn't taken any sick days or anything. Instead of staying at home by myself, I decided that I needed to meet my grandson" Maria said.

Gabriella smiled slightly.

"I think I am going to go to Chad's and let you ladies talk okay?" Troy said looking at Gabriella.

Gabriella nodded. Troy kissed his wife's lips softly.

"Call me if you need anything" Troy said.

"Okay" Gabriella said.

Troy got off the couch and left the house. Once the door had closed, Maria looked at her daughter.

"Gabi, I think we need to talk" Maria said.

Gabriella looked at her mother and nodded.

"I think so too" Gabriella said quietly.

"I know that you are upset that I have missed a milestone in your life where you needed me the most. You have every right to be upset with me, sweetheart. I just needed to take this job and do what I needed to do" Maria said.

"Did you ever think that I was scared out of my mind? I didn't want Taylor and even Troy sometimes to tell me that everything was going to be okay. I wanted you. My mom. I gave birth to my first child without my mother or my father present. But you didn't think of that part" Gabriella said.

Maria folded her hands in her lap.

"No, I didn't. I'm sorry that I wasn't there for you when you needed me" Maria said.

"I think I just need some time to think about everything. It just hurts me that every since dad died, you just have been taking jobs that send you everywhere and we have to move. That's not fair to me or my family. I want you to know Josh mom. I really do and I want him to grow up and remember his grandmother being in his life" Gabriella said.

"I understand. Maybe this week will allow us to get back to where we were. I want to get to know Josh " Maria said.

Gabriella nodded. Josh started whining. Gabriella lifted her son out of her mother's arms.

"I am going to put him down for his nap" Gabriella said.

Maria nodded. Gabriella walked out of the living room and went into the bedroom and placed her son in his play pen. She kissed his head softly and went back to the living room. The front door opened and Troy walked into the house.

"Hey baby, you okay?" Troy whispered.

Gabriella nodded.

"I tell you what happened tonight" Gabriella said.

"Alright. Is Josh down for his nap?" Troy asked.

"Yeah" Gabriella said.

"Okay, I think I will take a nap too" Troy said.

"Okay" Gabriella said.

Troy went into the bedroom and closed the door quietly. That night, the Bolton's and Gabriella's mother had dinner together, as a family. The couple was now getting ready for bed. Troy walked out of the bathroom after taking a shower.

"So what happened when I was gone?" Troy asked.

"She apologized for not being here when I was pregnant and needed her" Gabriella said.

"What did you say to that?" Troy asked.

"I told her that I had to think about accepting it because of how hurt I felt and still feel" Gabriella said.

Troy nodded.

"She hopes that this week will allow us to get back to where we were before she left" Gabriella said.

"What do you think of that?" Troy asked.

"I want her to know our son. I don't care if we are in this problem with each other. I care about my son knowing his grandmother" Gabriella said.

"I agree. So then let's have a good week with her. That means no fighting or anything like that" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded. That night, the couple fell asleep hoping that everything was going to be okay.


	14. Protecting My Family

The next morning, Gabriella had gotten up early. She had been tossing and turning all night. Josh had woken up twice, once to be fed and once to have a diaper change. Gabriella walked out of the bedroom and went into the living room and sat down on the couch. She leaned her head back against the couch and sighed. Gabriella was wondering what would happen this week with her mother staying in the house. She was pulled out of her thoughts when Troy walked into the room carrying Josh and sitting next to her, placing Josh on his chest.

"Good morning. You are up extra early today" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded. She leaned over and kissed Troy's lips and then Josh's head.

"I couldn't sleep" Gabriella said.

"Why?" Troy asked.

"I am just thinking of what could happen this week with mom staying with us" Gabriella said.

Troy smiled.

"Like I said yesterday, if she wants to be in his life, she needs to make an effort to do so. Maybe she wants to try to be an active part of his life. You have to let her babe" Troy said.

"I know. But I am just trying to protect him" Gabriella said.

Troy looked at Gabriella confused.

"Protect him?" Troy asked.

"She was always gone and not a big part of my life when dad passed away. I don't want her to come in here and act like everything is okay and then one day, when Josh knows her, she leaves and doesn't come back" Gabriella said.

Troy nodded.

"He's only a week old Brie. You can't assume that she's going to do that. If she does do that, then we have to figure out what we want to do. We are his parents and need to come up with a plan" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded and sighed. She opened her arms and Troy placed Josh into them.

"I am going to go feed him in our room. If mom comes out, tell her that I'm breast feeding and want to be alone please" Gabriella said.

Troy nodded. He leaned in and kissed Gabriella's lips softly.

"I love you" Troy said.

Gabriella smiled.

"I love you too" Gabriella said.

Gabriella got off the couch and walked into the bedroom and shut the door. Twenty minutes later, Maria came into the living room and sat down in a chair that was across from the couch.

"Good morning Troy" Maria said.

Troy smiled.

"Morning mom. How did you sleep?" Troy asked.

"Fine. Is Gabi still sleeping?" Maria asked.

"No, she's feeding Josh" Troy said.

"In the kitchen?" Maria asked.

"No, in our bedroom. She's breastfeeding him" Troy said.

"Oh, I see" Maria said.

Troy nodded.

"She likes to feed him by herself. She will come out here in a little bit. Josh has my appetite so it may be a while" Troy said.

Maria smiled and nodded.

"How was the pregnancy for her?" Maria asked.

"She was stressed out a lot. She didn't want me to be there for her some days because she wanted you. I didn't know how to go about that. I just had to let her vent out what she was feeling. But, she had a healthy pregnancy. I helped deliver him" Troy explained.

"You helped?" Maria asked.

Troy nodded.

"Gabs wanted me to use my medical expertise in her pregnancy in some way. She thought it would be special if I caught him when he was born, so I did" Troy explained.

Maria smiled.

"Sounds like that is an experience that you will never forget" Maria said.

"I will never forget it. That day was one of the best days of my life and probably in Gabriella's life as well" Troy said.

"Who was in the delivery room with her? Just you?" Maria asked.

Troy smiled at how interested Maria was about Gabriella's pregnancy.

"It was my mom and I that were in there with her" Troy said.

Maria looked down and folded her hands in her lap.

"I should have been there" Maria said.

Troy shrugged.

"Well, you can't change the past Maria. It happened and there is nothing you could have done to change it" Troy said.

Maria nodded. Gabriella walked into the room with Josh in her arms.

"Morning mom" Gabriella said.

"Good morning" Maria said.

"Is he all good?" Troy asked looking at his wife.

"Yeah, he ate a lot today" Gabriella said.

Troy smiled. He opened his arms and Gabriella placed Josh into them.

"Mom was asking about your pregnancy" Troy said.

Gabriella looked at Troy confused and then at her mother.

"What about it?" Gabriella asked.

"I just wanted to know how everything went" Maria said.

Gabriella nodded.

"It was difficult at the beginning, emotionally" Gabriella said.

Maria nodded.

"I'm not trying to make you feel bad about it mom. I just am telling you the truth" Gabriella said.

"I understand" Maria said.

Troy looked at Gabriella. She knew that this conversation had hit a vein.

"So what is your plan today ladies?" Troy asked changing the subject.

"I think that Tay wanted to see Josh so I am going to go over there" Gabriella said.

Troy nodded. Maria smiled slightly.

"I think that I'm going to visit your grandmother" Maria said sensing that Gabriella didn't want her to go with her to Taylor's.

"Okay" Gabriella said.

The Bolton's and Maria got ready for the day. Maria had left to visit Gabriella's grandmother. Gabriella closed the door and sighed. Troy looked at his wife.

"Why was she asking about my pregnancy?" Gabriella asked.

"I think she feels bad about missing everything. I told her that my mom and I were at the birth and I think it made her feel bad" Troy said.

"Well she should feel bad" Gabriella said.

"Baby, calm down" Troy said putting his hands on both of her shoulders.

"It just hurts" Gabriella said.

"I know it does sweetheart. But she's trying to make it right" Troy said.

Gabriella looked at her husband and sighed.

"Just give her a chance, Brie. You can't not let her have that opportunity" Troy said.

"Okay" Gabriella mumbled.

Troy smiled. He leaned in and kissed Gabriella's lips softly.

"Don't worry. Go to Tay's and have a good time okay?" Troy said.

"Alright" Gabriella said as she picked up Josh and put him in his car seat.

Troy leaned in and kissed Josh's head softly.

"Be good for mommy and Auntie Tay okay bud?" Troy said.

Gabriella smiled. Troy then leaned in and kissed Gabriella's lips.

"I love you. Call me if you need anything" Troy said.

"Okay. I love you too" Gabriella said.

Gabriella and Josh left the house and drove to Taylor's. She walked to the front door with Josh in his car seat and rang the doorbell. Taylor opened the door and smiled.

"Hey, what's going on? You look stressed" Taylor said.

Gabriella walked in and placed Josh's car seat on the ground and lifted the infant into her arms.

"My mom flew into town unannounced" Gabriella confessed.

Taylor's eyes widened.

"How do you feel about that?" Taylor asked.

"I was shocked. I couldn't believe it" Gabriella said.

"Did she say why she decided to come visit?" Taylor asked as the two girls sat down in the living room.

"She wanted to meet her grandson apparently" Gabriella said.

"Wow" Taylor said.

Gabriella nodded.

"I've been so emotional about it. Troy has been trying to help make everything run smoothly" Gabriella said.

Taylor sighed and ran her fingers through her hair.

"She still doesn't get that her leaving after my dad passed away doesn't take away the pain. She doesn't understand how much I wanted her here. I had to go through my first pregnancy without her" Gabriella said.

"Gabi" Taylor said hugging her friend.

Gabriella hugged Taylor back and sighed.

"Am I overreacting?" Gabriella asked.

"No. You are trying to protect yourself and your child. That's a good thing" Taylor said.

The front door opened and Chad came into the room.

"Gabster! How's my nephew?" Chad asked.

"He's doing well. Do you want to officially meet him?" Gabriella asked standing up with her son in her arms.

Chad nodded. Gabriella placed Josh into Chad's arms. Josh whined.

"It's okay baby. It's only Uncle Chad" Gabriella said.

Chad looked down at Josh and smiled.

"You and Troy make cute babies. Is he going to play basketball?" Chad asked as he carefully sat down.

"He can play if he wants. I think you and Troy will be a big influence in his decision though" Gabriella said.

Chad smiled.

"Maria is in town, Chad" Taylor said.

Chad looked up at Gabriella.

"Did you know she was coming?" Chad asked.

"No. It was a complete surprise. She said that she wants to be a part of Josh's life" Gabriella said.

"Are you going to let her?" Chad asked.

"Troy wants me to. I just don't know if I should. Like what if one day down the line, she up and leaves again? Josh will be heartbroken and so will I. Probably more so because I will have more kids" Gabriella said.

"You are already thinking about baby number two? You just had him a week ago" Chad said incredulously.

"Welcome to women, Chaddy. We are the ones that want kids" Gabriella said.

Taylor laughed.

"I want kids. I never said that I didn't" Chad said.

Taylor and Gabriella rolled their eyes playfully.

"How long is she staying?" Taylor asked.

"A week" Gabriella said.

"Maybe I will stop by and see her. I haven't seen her in a while" Taylor said.

Gabriella nodded. The friends talked for a while until Josh started getting fussy. Gabriella left the Danforth residence and drove home. She parked her car in the driveway and got out of the car. Gabriella walked to the back seat and saw Josh sleeping in his car seat. She smiled and took his seat out of the car and walked into the house.

"I'm home" Gabriella called.

"In the kitchen" Maria said.

Gabriella put Josh's car seat down and lifted the infant out of it. She walked into the bedroom and placed her son in his play pen. Gabriella left the room and went into the kitchen.

"How was Taylor's?" Maria asked.

"Fine. She and Chad may come by sometime this week to see you. Where's Troy?" Gabriella asked.

"I'm right here" Troy said kissing Gabriella's cheek from behind.

Gabriella smiled.

"How are Tay and Chad?" Troy asked.

"They are good. Chad is already asking if Josh is going to play basketball" Gabriella said.

Troy smiled.

"He can do anything he wants to do. I am not going to push basketball into his hands" Troy said.

Gabriella raised her eyebrow and looked at her husband.

"I'm not" Troy said.

"We will see. Anyway, they want to come see mom while she is here" Gabriella said.

"Okay. Is Josh down for his nap?" Troy asked.

Gabriella nodded.

"Yeah, he passed out in the car" Gabriella said.

"Alright" Troy said.

"I am going to go see one of my friends while I'm here" Maria said.

"Okay" Gabriella said.

Maria left the house.

"Taylor and I were talking" Gabriella started.

"Uh oh. Do I need to sit down for this conversation?" Troy joked.

Gabriella smiled.

"We were talking about mom and everything that's been going on. She asked if I wanted more kids" Gabriella said.

"Oh, and what did you tell her?" Troy asked curiously.

"I mean, I would love to have more. I just hope that getting pregnant next time won't be as hard as this time was" Gabriella said.

Troy smiled.

"Brie, Brie, Brie. Josh is a week old. You really are thinking about a second baby aren't you?" Troy asked.

Gabriella nodded.

"When Josh gets older, we can discuss it. Right now I think we have our hands full" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded. Troy smiled slightly. He leaned in and kissed Gabriella's lips.

"I love you" Troy said.

Gabriella smiled.

"I love you too" Gabriella said.

A cry filled the room.

"He's probably hungry" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded. She walked into the bedroom and picked up her son.

"What's the matter baby? Are you hungry?" Gabriella asked.

Gabriella fed Josh. After he finished, Gabriella burped him and walked into the kitchen. Troy looked at his son and smiled.

"Hey buddy, did you have a good nap?" Troy asked lifting him out of Gabriella's arms.

The rest of the day, the couple relaxed around the house. A lot had changed in the Bolton family's life and they knew that more change would be coming.


	15. The Joy Of Parenthood

A couple weeks later, Troy and Gabriella had gone back to work. Maria had gone back to New York but promised to keep in touch with the couple. It was ten in the morning and Gabriella had just finished talking to a client. She sighed. Gabriella missed Josh. She picked up the phone and dialed Lucille's number, who was watching her son while the couple was at work.

"Hello?" Lucille answered.

"Hi mom. How is Josh doing?" Gabriella asked.

"He's taking his nap honey. Is everything okay?" Lucille asked her daughter-in-law.

"I miss my baby" Gabriella confessed.

Lucille smiled through the phone.

"I felt the same way when I had Troy. You just have to push through the day" Lucille said.

Gabriella sighed.

"Troy told me that it was normal to miss him especially because I'm breastfeeding. I just want to be home and have him snuggled in my arms" Gabriella said.

"You will be home in a couple hours. You will make it Gabi" Lucille said.

The two women talked for a little while longer until Gabriella had a client come in. After her second client left, Gabriella picked up the phone again and dialed Troy's office. She wanted to know if Troy felt the same way that she did.

"Dr. Bolton's office, Nicole speaking" Nicole, the receptionist said.

"Hey Nicole, its Gabi Bolton. Is Troy with a patient?" Gabriela asked sitting back in her chair.

"Hi Gabi, let me go check for you" Nicole said.

"Thanks" Gabriella said.

Nicole put Gabriella on hold. A couple moments later, a dial tone came onto the phone. She smiled.

"Dr. Bolton" Troy answered.

"Baby" Gabriella said.

Troy smiled.

"Hi sweetheart. How's it going?" Troy asked.

"I miss him Troy" Gabriella said referring to their son.

"I know you do baby. But you will see him soon" Troy said.

"I didn't think I would miss him this much when I went back to work" Gabriella said.

"I miss him too Brie. You just got to stick it out for a couple more hours" Troy said.

Gabriella sighed.

"My boobs hurt too" Gabriella confessed.

Troy chuckled.

"It's not funny Troy. I need to pump but can't because I am here" Gabriella said.

"Then go pump babe. There is nothing wrong with that. Everyone knows that you are breastfeeding" Troy said.

"Unfortunately" Gabriella mumbled.

 _Flashback_

 _It was Gabriella's first week back at the office since having Josh. She had a client coming in a few minutes. Gabriella had gone to retrieve the files that she needed. Her friend, Susan, who had three kids smiled when she saw Gabriella. Gabriella smiled and walked towards her._

" _How's Josh doing at Troy's parents?" Susan asked._

" _He's doing well" Gabriella said._

 _Susan got a closer look at Gabriella and smiled._

" _Gabi, are you breastfeeding?" Susan asked._

" _Yes, why?" Gabriella asked._

" _I think you are leaking. You need to go pump" Susan said._

 _Gabriella looked down and saw two big wet dots on her shirt. Her face turned red in embarrassment._

 _End of Flashback_

"Baby, go pump. It's nothing to be embarrassed about" Troy said.

Gabriella sighed.

"If I have a client, it is" Gabriella said.

"Do it quickly. I have to go back to work okay?" Troy said.

"Alright" Gabriella said.

"I love you" Troy said.

"I love you too" Gabriella said.

"Go pump babe" Troy said.

The couple hung up. Gabriella picked up her purse and walked into the bathroom and pumped. A couple hours later, Gabriella drove home and parked her car in the driveway. She walked to the front door and unlocked it and walked in.

"Lucille? I'm home" Gabriella said coming into the living room.

"Hi honey" Lucille said.

"How was he today?" Gabriella asked.

"He was cranky" Lucille said.

"Oh boy" Gabriella said sarcastically.

Lucille placed Josh into Gabriella's arms. Gabriella looked at her son and smiled.

"Hi baby. Did you give grandma a hard time?" Gabriella asked the infant.

Josh giggled.

"How was work today?" Lucille asked.

"I had to pump in the middle of the day" Gabriella said.

Lucille smiled.

"Not getting any easier?" Lucille asked.

"Nope" Gabriella said.

"It will get better" Lucille said.

"Hopefully" Gabriella said looking down at Josh, who had fallen asleep in Gabriella's arms.

Gabriella walked into Josh's room and placed him in his crib. The couple had started putting him in his crib when he took naps and slept for the night. Gabriella walked back into the living room. She thanked her mother-in-law for watching Josh and Lucille left the house. An hour later, Gabriella heard the door open and Troy walked into the house.

"Hi sweetheart" Troy said.

"Hi baby" Gabriella said.

"Did mom leave?" Troy asked.

"Yeah, she left an hour ago. Josh is down for his nap" Gabriella said.

"Oh. So did you end up pumping at the office?" Troy asked.

"Yes" Gabriella said.

"Was it that bad?" Troy asked.

Gabriella looked at her husband and sighed.

"I would rather be able to pump in the comfort of my own home and not in a public bathroom" Gabriella said.

"Baby" Troy started.

Gabriella just hugged her husband and buried her face in his neck.

"Is this separation anxiety normal?" Gabriella asked.

Troy put his hand on the back of Gabriella's head.

"Yes, it's normal. Brie, I know it's hard to leave him. But we both have to go to work and get our stuff done" Troy said.

"I know that but it's just hard" Gabriella said.

"I know it is. Especially when you are breastfeeding" Troy said kissing Gabriella's shoulder.

Gabriella sighed.

"Is this feeling ever going to go away?" Gabriella asked.

Troy smiled.

"When you get used to going back to your routine it will. You just need to focus on that" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded.

"He needs to get his shots done this week so you will have to be home for a day" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded.

"It's better than not being with him at all, I guess" Gabriella said.

Troy smiled.

"Are you going to be giving him his shots or is the nurse?" Gabriella asked.

"A nurse will. I don't do shots" Troy said.

"Okay" Gabriella said.

"But I will be there when he gets them done" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded.

"I can't believe he's already a month old" Gabriella said.

Troy smiled and nodded.

"Yeah" Troy said.

"He will be walking soon" Gabriella said.

"Not yet. In probably like six months he will be crawling" Troy said.

Josh started crying and Troy walked into the his bedroom and lifted him out of his crib.

"Hey bud. Do you need to be changed?" Troy asked the newborn.

Troy brought his son to the changing table and unfastened his diaper. He quickly changed Josh's diaper and threw it away. Troy put Josh's clothes back on and lifted him into his arms.

"Let's go see mommy" Troy said.

Troy walked out of the room and went into the living room. Gabriella smiled when she saw Troy holding Josh.

"Did you change him?" Gabriella asked.

"Yeah" Troy said sitting down next to Gabriella and placing Josh on his chest.

The rest of the day, the couple relaxed around the house. A couple days later, Gabriella was driving to Troy's office so that Josh could get his vaccinations. She pulled into the parking lot and parked her car. Gabriella got out of the car and went to the back seat and took the car seat out of the car. She then walked into the office and went to the front desk and signed Josh in. A couple minutes later, a nurse with dark brown hair and who was probably in her mid-thirties came into the waiting room with a file.

"Josh Bolton" the nurse called.

Gabriella stood up and picked up Josh's car seat and followed the nurse into an exam room. The nurse closed the door and smiled at Gabriella.

"You are Dr. Bolton's wife?" the nurse asked.

Gabriella smiled and nodded.

"Yeah" Gabriella said.

"Has there been any problems or things that you have noticed with Josh?" the nurse asked.

"No" Gabriella said.

The nurse weighed Josh and recorded his weight and height.

"Dr. Bolton will be in shortly" the nurse said.

"Thank you" Gabriella said.

A couple minutes later, Troy peeked into the room. Gabriella smiled. Troy came into the room and closed the door.

"Hi baby" Gabriella said.

"Hey, so I need to check him out really quickly and we will get him his shots okay?" Troy said.

"Alright" Gabriella said.

Troy carefully lifted Josh out of his car seat and lied him down on the exam table. Josh started to cry.

"I know buddy. But it's just daddy" Troy said.

Troy checked Josh out and looked at Gabriella.

"He looks pretty good. His weight is up to par and all of his fine and gross motor skills are as well. We are doing everything right" Troy said.

"Okay" Gabriella said.

"We need to have him start sleeping in his crib more regularly though. I think that would help him out" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded.

"I'm going to go bring the nurse back and we can get him his shots" Troy said.

"What shots does he need?" Gabriella asked.

"Just chicken pox I believe" Troy said looking in his file.

"Okay" Gabriella said.

"Let me go get the nurse and I will be back" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded. A couple moments later, Troy came back into the room with the nurse and she started pulling out the syringe and vaccine.

"Dr. Bolton, are you going to hold him?" the nurse asked.

"I can" Troy said.

"That would be good" the nurse said.

Troy lifted Josh into his arms. He kissed his son's head softly. Gabriella looked at Troy nervously. The nurse disinfected Josh's arm.

"He needs to be completely still" the nurse said.

Troy held Josh and kept him still. The nurse inserted the syringe into Josh's skin and he immediately started crying. She then took the syringe out and threw it away.

"All done" the nurse said putting a band-aid on the area.

Troy stood up with Josh in his arms and gently bounced him around, trying to get him to calm down.

"Everything's okay buddy. It's over" Troy said.

Gabriella released the breath that she had been holding in. Josh's cries turned into whimpers and stopped a couple minutes later. Troy looked down at his son and smiled.

"When are you going to be home?" Gabriella asked.

"Probably around five. I have had a slow day" Troy said.

"Okay" Gabriella said.

"He's going to want to sleep when you get home. Let him" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded.

"Is there anything else that we need to do?" Gabriella asked.

"No. Make a new appointment for six months" Troy said.

"Okay" Gabriella said.

Troy placed Josh into Gabriella's arms and kissed his head. He then kissed Gabriella's lips softly.

"I'll see you at home" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded.

"Love you" Gabriella said.

"Love you too honey" Troy said.

Gabriella made a new appointment for Josh and left the office. A couple hours later, Troy came home and untied his tie. He walked into the living room and saw Gabriella watching a movie.

"Hey, is he sleeping?" Troy asked sitting down next to his wife.

"Yeah, I put him in the car and he knocked out" Gabriella said.

Troy smiled.

"Good. It gave you a break" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded.

"I pumped some bottles so we would have some on hand" Gabriella said.

"Okay" Troy said.

"How was the rest of your day?" Gabriella asked.

"It was alright. After you guys left, I had to give a kid a strep throat test and that resulted in high pitched screaming" Troy said.

"Fun" Gabriella said sarcastically.

"Yeah, fun. Have you talked to Tay?" Troy asked.

"No, why?" Gabriella asked.

"I think you should" Troy said.

"What's going on?" Gabriella asked.

"Just call her" Troy said.

Gabriella called Taylor and waited for her to answer.

"Hello?" Taylor answered.

"Hey Tay, how's it going?" Gabriella asked.

"I have to tell you something" Taylor said.

"What's up?" Gabriella asked.

"I'm pregnant" Taylor said.

"Really? That's great Tay. Are you happy?" Gabriella asked.

"Yeah, I am. Scared to death but I know everything's going to be okay. Chad almost passed out when I told him" Taylor said.

"If you need anything, I'll be here" Gabriella said.

"Thanks Gabi. It was a total surprise. I mean, we have been trying but not consistently" Taylor said.

"Is Chad excited?" Gabriella asked.

"Yeah, he wants a boy so that Josh, Troy, the baby, and himself can start a basketball team" Taylor said rolling her eyes.

Gabriella giggled.

"He's never going to give up basketball" Gabriella said.

"Nope, but even if we have a boy, he needs to let him do what interests him and not Chad" Taylor said.

"I told Troy the same thing" Gabriella said.

The two women talked for a little while longer. Gabriella hung up the phone and walked into the living room.

"So what did Tay want?" Troy asked.

"She found out she's pregnant" Gabriella said.

Troy's eyes widened.

"Chad's going to be a father. Now, that is something that I did not expect so soon" Troy said.

"Be nice. She didn't tell me how far along she is" Gabriella said.

"Wow, Chad is going to be a father" Troy repeated running his hand through his hair.

"Troy! Focus" Gabriella whined.

"We are getting old" Troy said.

Gabriella smiled.

"Well, we've been together ten years babe" Gabriella said.

"I never thought I would be so happy at twenty-eight years old" Troy said.

"We have an amazing family, friends that we love, and a son that we can't get enough of. Life is perfect" Gabriella said.

Troy smiled and nodded.

"It's absolutely perfect" Troy said.

The rest of the day, the couple relaxed around the house and enjoyed each other's company.


	16. Bombshells

A couple weeks later, Troy unlocked the front door and walked into the house. He smiled when he saw Gabriella sitting at the kitchen table with a bottle in her hand, feeding their son.

"Well, that is a beautiful sight" Troy said.

Gabriella looked up and smiled.

"How was the office today?" Gabriella asked.

"Busy. How was your office?" Troy asked sitting down in the chair that was next to Gabriella.

"Busy. I had a lot of work to catch up on because I was gone" Gabriella said.

"When did you get home?" Troy asked kissing Gabriella's cheek.

"I got home an hour ago. Mom said that Josh slept most of the day" Gabriella said.

"Good. I told Chad that I would play basketball with him tonight. Are you going to hang out with Tay or stay here?" Troy asked.

"I'm going to stay in. I'm exhausted" Gabriella said.

Troy nodded.

"I pumped twice today" Gabriella said.

"Really?" Troy asked incredulously.

Gabriella nodded.

"I don't have any energy" Gabriella said.

"Alright baby. I can stay home if you want me to" Troy said.

"No, you need to go hang out with Chad. You've been cooped up in the house since Josh was born. Go have fun" Gabriella said.

"But, I don't want to leave you here" Troy said.

"I'll call Tay and tell her to come over" Gabriella said.

"Okay. But call me if you need anything" Troy said.

"Don't worry. Go have fun" Gabriella said.

"I need to change" Troy said standing up and walking into the bedroom.

A couple minutes later, Troy walked back into the kitchen shirtless and with basketball shorts on.

"Alright, I'm leaving. Bye baby. I love you" Troy said kissing Gabriella's lips.

"Bye. I love you too" Gabriella said.

Troy left the house and drove to Chad's. He got out of the car and heard a basketball bouncing on the ground. Troy walked to the side gate and opened it and walked to the backyard of his best friend's house.

"Hey man" Troy said.

Chad turned around and looked at Troy.

"Hey, how's Gabs and Josh?" Chad asked.

"They are good. Brie's been breastfeeding and falling asleep early. She's exhausted dude" Troy said.

"Well, welcome to parenthood" Chad said.

"Yeah, for real. Speaking of parenthood-" Troy started but was then interrupted.

"I don't want to talk about it" Chad said.

"You aren't happy that you are having a baby?" Troy asked taking the ball from Chad's hand and dribbling it.

"I'm happy that we are having a baby but it just feels weird. I don't know if it's because I'm scared or what" Chad said.

"In my own experience, when Brie told me that she was pregnant, I was really happy. But also scared, like you are. I looked at the situation and I realized that if I'm scared about having a baby, imagine how Brie was feeling. Don't get me wrong, we were both ecstatic that we were pregnant, but we were both scared out of our minds Chad" Troy explained.

Chad nodded.

"Taylor's been really emotional about the whole thing. She wasn't expecting it. Tay wanted to start having kids once her work stuff had slowed down" Chad said.

"The best thing to do in that situation is to be there when she needs to cry because she's going to want to sometimes, be there when she needs to talk, and make sure that she's happy with what's going on" Troy said.

"Yeah, your right. Man, did you ever think at twenty eight that we would be happily married and have kids?" Chad asked.

"Nope. But I'm glad that it turned out the way it did. I couldn't see my life without either of them" Troy said throwing the ball and watching it go through the hoop.

Meanwhile with Gabriella and Taylor, the two women just sat down at their favorite coffee shop.

"Alright, spill your guts" Gabriella said picking up Josh.

"Is it normal to be this scared? Like yes I'm a doctor and I know how this whole thing works, it's just scary when you are going through it yourself" Taylor said.

"I was really happy since I thought I wasn't ever going to get pregnant. But once I started going through everything I got scared. Troy helped me feel comfortable about it all and was always there when I needed something" Gabriella said.

Taylor nodded.

"Hopefully Chad will be like that" Taylor said.

"I'm sure after talking to Troy he will be" Gabriella said.

Taylor smiled. At the Danforth residence, Troy and Chad finished playing basketball and were sitting on the grass in the backyard.

"Was the whole pregnancy scary for you?" Chad asked.

Troy smiled and nodded.

"It was scary at the beginning. I didn't know how to help Gabriella at all. I wasn't prepared for what was going on" Troy said.

"Even though you are a doctor?" Chad asked.

"Even being a doctor, I was scared. I had only seen pregnancy from the doctor side and never the patient or the father of the baby's side" Troy said.

"But everything turned out well at the end" Chad said.

Troy nodded.

"When I first saw my son's head crowning, I was petrified. But I didn't want Gabs to know that I was. I was in doctor mode. As she pushed and he started coming out, I took off my doctor hat and put on my daddy hat and was ecstatic. I was sobbing when he came out. It was an experience that I will never forget and I know that when your child is born you will feel the same way" Troy said.

Chad nodded.

"Thanks man" Chad said.

Troy smiled.

"We have said it since elementary school Chad, we aren't just best friends. We are brothers. I want to be there for you when you need me. If you get overwhelmed with all this stuff or whatever it may be, you can always talk to me" Troy said.

Chad nodded. The two men shook hands. Troy left the house soon after. When he arrived home, Troy heard Taylor and Gabriella laughing in the living room. He walked into the living room and poked his head in.

"Hello ladies" Troy said as he kissed Gabriella's lips.

"Troy, we are dying to know what Chad has said to you" Taylor said.

"Well Tay, I don't think I should be the one disclosing that information. I think that you and Chad need to have a talk about your pregnancy and what happens after the baby comes. I talked to him for a while and I think that he understands a lot more about the situation than he did before" Troy said.

"Is he okay?" Taylor asked.

"Yeah, he's fine. Go talk to him and he will tell you more okay?" Troy said.

Taylor nodded.

"Thanks Troy" Taylor said.

"No problem" Troy said.

Taylor left the house. Troy looked at Gabriella.

"So how did your talk with Chad go?" Gabriella asked.

"Better than I expected it to. I think that he knows what he has to do. He was just scared" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded.

"Tay wants to know if you would be the baby's pediatrician" Gabriella said.

"Of course I would" Troy said.

"She's been researching pregnancy since she found out" Gabriella said.

"What has she been researching?" Troy asked.

"Diet and exercise stuff so far" Gabriella said.

"That's good. I think they are going to be okay. It was just a shock" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded.

"Where's my son?" Troy asked looking around the room.

"Taking his nap" Gabriella said.

A cry filled the room. Troy smiled.

"I will get him" Troy said getting up.

Troy walked into Josh's room and went over to his crib.

"Hey buddy, what's the matter?" Troy asked as he lifted Josh out of his crib.

Troy felt his son's diaper and smiled.

"You waited until daddy got back to do that didn't you?" Troy asked his son.

Troy brought Josh to the changing table and quickly changed his son's diaper. He then picked him up again and walked out of the room.

"Look who is awake and has a fresh diaper" Troy said.

Gabriella smiled.

"He had a massive explosion in that diaper" Troy said.

Gabriella laughed.

"Did you feed him before you put him down?" Troy asked.

"Yeah, he should be good for a little while" Gabriella said.

"Have you talked to your mom since she left?" Troy asked.

"A little bit, but not much. She's been really busy with work and other stuff" Gabriella said.

"Other stuff? What other stuff?" Troy asked curiously.

"She's dating someone" Gabriella said breathlessly.

Troy's eyes widened.

"Oh baby" Troy said looking at his wife, knowing that she was probably upset.

"I don't want to talk about it right now" Gabriella said.

Troy sighed. That night, the couple had put Josh to bed. Troy had walked into the bedroom and saw the bathroom light on and the door closed. He walked over to the door and knocked.

"Sweetheart, are you okay?" Troy asked.

"Yeah, you can come in if you want" Gabriella said.

Troy opened the door and walked into the bathroom and saw Gabriella in the bathtub that had bubbles that filled the entire tub and candles lit on the sink. He sat down on the closed toilet seat.

"Do you want to talk about earlier?" Troy asked gently, trying not to push Gabriella.

"Why does she want to go out with someone? She had a husband" Gabriella said.

"Baby, I know you are upset and that this affects you too. But don't you think that maybe she just wants to be happy? I think your dad would have wanted that for her right?" Troy said.

"I just don't want her to forget my dad. I think that this whole moving to New York thing really has changed her. She is a completely different person. The fact that she is even thinking about dating someone to me, is very hurtful" Gabriella said.

Troy put his hand on Gabriella's face. He knew how concerned she was.

"Brie, no one will ever forget your dad. Yes there is a lot of change that has been going on in your mom's life, but she is still the same person. She still loves you no matter what" Troy said.

Gabriella sighed and tears ran down her cheeks. She covered her face. Troy put his hands under his wife's arms.

"Baby, don't cry" Troy said holding Gabriella to his chest.

Troy didn't care if his clothes got wet. He wanted to help Gabriella cope with this new change in her life. Gabriella cried and Troy rubbed her back soothingly.

"Everything is going to be okay" Troy said.

The couple stayed in that position for a couple minutes until Gabriella stopped crying and got out of the tub and changed into her pajamas. They went into the bedroom and got into bed. Gabriella snuggled into Troy's chest.

"I love you" Gabriella said.

"I love you too Gabs. So much. You know that if you need to talk about this more, you can always come to me right?" Troy asked.

Gabriella nodded.

"Yeah and I love you for that" Gabriella said.

Troy smiled and kissed Gabriella's head softly.

"How did your mom tell you that she was dating someone, if you don't mind me asking?" Troy asked.

 _Flashback_

 _Gabriella was on the phone with her mother._

 _"Gabi, I have to tell you something" Maria started._

 _"What's up?" Gabriella asked._

 _"I met a really nice guy that has similar interests that I have and he asked me out on a date" Maria said._

 _"What?" Gabriella asked._

 _"Honey, I know this is a difficult-" Maria started but was then interrupted._

 _"No mom. A difficult conversation would be you telling me you are moving to New York for work. This doesn't even compare to that. Do you not understand how much I miss my dad? I cannot believe this at all. I need to go. I can't talk to you anymore" Gabriella said._

 _End of Flashback._

"She told me that she met a nice guy and that he asked her out on a date and I blew up on her" Gabriella said.

Troy nodded.

"I know it was wrong for me to get so angry about that, but it just bothers me" Gabriella said.

"Sweetheart, you don't ever have to apologize for how you feel. If you are angry about the situation, then you can be angry. If you are upset, then you can be upset. Whatever you feel, you need to release" Troy said.

"After I talked to her, I started thinking about my dad and our whole life together. We were a big happy family" Gabriella said as she cried.

Troy wrapped his arms around Gabriella. He rubbed her back soothingly. Troy kissed Gabriella's head softly and whispered sweet things into her ear.

"Maybe you need to just take a break from mom for a while. I know that you don't want to and you don't have to but I think it would be the best solution for you and our family. When things calm down, then maybe you both can sit down and talk about what happened" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded.

"I agree" Gabriella said.

Troy kissed Gabriella's forehead.

"Get some sleep okay? We will talk more about this in the morning" Troy said.

As soon as the couple was about to close their eyes, Josh started crying. Gabriella groaned and got out of bed and walked to Josh's room and picked him up. She walked back to the bedroom and got into bed carefully. Gabriella pulled down her shirt and watched Josh latch on and eat his evening meal.

"He loves his late night snacks" Gabriella said.

Troy chuckled.

"I guess so" Troy said.

Gabriella finished feeding Josh and put him back in his crib. She then walked back to the bedroom and got into bed. Troy brought Gabriella closer to his body and kissed her lips.

"Good night sweetheart" Troy said.

"Night baby" Gabriella said.

The couple fell asleep to each other's heartbeats. They knew that they could go through anything as long as they were together.


	17. Do What Your Heart Tells You

The next morning, Gabriella woke up early and fed Josh. She brought him to the kitchen and put him in his day chair. Gabriella went to the pantry and started pulling out ingredients to make cookies that she used to make with her dad as a child. Ever since her conversation with her mom, memories of her dad had flooded her brain. Gabriella started making the cookie dough and heard footsteps. Troy walked into the kitchen and smiled.

"Good morning" Troy said.

"Good morning" Gabriella said kissing Troy's lips.

"What are we making this morning?" Troy asked.

"I am making cookies that I used to make with my dad. You've never had them and I want you to try them. I've never made them myself before" Gabriella said.

Troy nodded. He looked over at Josh, who had fallen asleep in his day chair.

"Did he eat?" Troy asked.

"Yeah, I fed him. He should be good for a couple hours" Gabriella said as she started to place the dough on a baking sheet.

"Okay" Troy said.

"I had a dream about dad last night" Gabriella said.

"Oh, what was it about?" Troy asked as he leaned against the counter.

"I relived all the childhood memories that I had with him" Gabriella said.

Troy smiled.

"And that's where the cookies came from" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded.

"My dad and I used to make them together when my mom would be at work. We used to make them a lot when he got sick" Gabriella said.

Troy nodded.

"Sounds like these hold a lot of memories for you about your dad" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded. She put the cookies in the oven and looked at her husband.

"Now, we wait" Gabriella said.

Troy smiled. He leaned in and kissed Gabriella's lips softly and then the tip of her nose. Gabriella giggled.

"My favorite smile" Troy said.

Gabriella smiled and wrapped her arms around her husband.

"I love you" Gabriella said.

"I love you too baby. Chad is going to come over later to talk. I guess Tay had her first ultrasound" Troy said.

"Oh yeah, I forgot to tell you. She told me that Chad started crying" Gabriella said.

Troy smiled.

"Well, that doesn't surprise me. I cried when you had your first ultrasound" Troy said.

"Yeah" Gabriella said.

"I am going to go to the gym for a little bit. Are you going to be okay?" Troy asked referring to Josh.

"Yeah, these cookies have to bake for a while. So I will be fine" Gabriella said.

Troy nodded. Gabriella kissed Troy's lips softly.

"Thanks for the talk last night" Gabriella said.

Troy smiled.

"No problem sweetheart. If you need anything, call me" Troy said.

"Okay" Gabriella said.

Troy left the house. An hour later, Troy walked into the house and was met with an incredible aroma. He walked into the kitchen and saw Gabriella putting the cookies on a plate. She looked up and smiled.

"Cookies are ready" Gabriella said.

The couple both took a cookie and took a bite. Gabriella smiled as the taste hit her mouth.

"What do you think?" Gabriella asked.

"They are really good babe" Troy said.

Gabriella sighed in relief.

"They remind me of my childhood" Gabriella said.

Troy smiled.

"We should make them more often" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded. That afternoon, the doorbell rang. Gabriella walked to the front door holding Josh and opened it and saw Chad standing there.

"Hey, come on in" Gabriella said hugging her best friend.

"How's the little man doing?" Chad asked opening his arms.

Gabriella placed her son into Chad's arms. Chad looked down at Josh and smiled.

"He's good. He has started to not wake up as much at night" Gabriella said.

Chad smiled.

"That's always good. Is Hoops here?" Chad asked.

"Yeah" Gabriella said.

Troy walked into the room and smiled.

"In a couple months, you will be holding your own kid" Troy said.

"Yeah" Chad said.

"We are going to play basketball in the backyard" Troy said looking at his wife.

"Alright" Gabriella said.

Chad placed Josh back into Gabriella's arms. The two men walked out to the backyard. Troy picked up a basketball and started dribbling.

"So, how was the ultrasound? Gabs talked to Taylor and she had said you cried" Troy said.

Chad turned red in embarrassment.

"Great, she's telling people that" Chad said.

Troy chuckled.

"Don't worry man. I cried too when I first saw Josh" Troy said.

"I don't know. When I first saw the baby on the monitor, something inside of me changed" Chad said throwing the ball into the hoop.

"What changed?" Troy asked.

"I wasn't scared anymore. I was suddenly ready to open this new chapter of my life and have this baby with Tay" Chad said.

Troy smiled.

"Did you tell Tay that?" Troy asked.

"Yeah, I told her and we had talked about everything. She was very understanding when I told her everything" Chad said.

"I'm glad you told her Chad. It's only going to get better. You both have to go through this together. It's not just Tay who is going through it. You are too" Troy said.

Chad nodded.

"And I understood that loud and clear when we were talking about it" Chad said.

"The morning sickness is bad though" Chad said.

"Yeah, and it may get worse. Brie's was bad but then it gradually got better" Troy said.

"That's what the doctor said too" Chad said.

The two men talked for a while. Chad left the Bolton home and Troy walked into the house and heard Josh crying. He walked into the living room and saw Gabriella holding Josh and bouncing him around gently.

"I don't know why he's crying. He just ate, his diaper is empty, and he just took a nap" Gabriella said.

Troy opened his arms and Gabriella placed their son into them. Josh's cries turned into whimpers and stopped a few moments later.

"He just wanted his daddy" Troy said.

Gabriela smiled.

"How is Chad?" Gabriella asked.

"He is good. He and Tay talked. I guess that he made the decision to man up and have this baby" Troy said.

"Good" Gabriella said.

Troy nodded. He swayed back and forth and looked down at his son, whose eyes were starting to close. The phone rang and Gabriella looked at the caller ID.

"It's my mom" Gabriella said.

Troy held his hand out. Gabriella gave Troy the phone.

"Hello?" Troy answered placing Josh into Gabriella's arms.

"Hi Troy, it's Maria. How are you?" Maria asked.

"I'm fine mom. How are you?" Troy asked.

"I'm doing well. Is Gabriella around?" Maria asked.

Gabriella silently told Troy that she didn't want to talk to her. Troy nodded.

"She's feeding Josh right now. What's going on?" Troy asked.

"I have some news" Maria said.

"What news?" Troy asked walking into the kitchen and motioning for Gabriella not to follow him.

"The guy that I have been seeing, Mark, asked me to marry him and I said yes" Maria said.

Troy's eyes widened. He knew Gabriella was going to be hurt by her mother's news.

"Congratulations" Troy said trying to be happy.

"Can you tell Gabi for me?" Maria asked.

"I will tell her" Troy said trying to hold in his anger.

Troy and Maria hung up. Troy put his hand on his face and sighed. He didn't know how he was going to tell Gabriella but knew that he had to. Troy walked back into the living room and sat down on the couch.

"What did my mom want?" Gabriella asked.

"She told me something that is going to upset you and I don't know how to tell you" Troy said.

Gabriella looked at her husband confused.

"What did she say Troy?" Gabriella asked.

"Before I tell you, I want you to know that I love you very much and I will always be here when you need me okay?" Troy said.

"I love you too. Can you please tell me what's going on? You are scaring me" Gabriella said.

"Your mom called to tell us that she is getting married" Troy said.

Gabriella looked down at her hands. She started playing with her wedding ring and was silent.

"Baby, talk to me" Troy said.

Gabriella was silent.

"I'm done" Gabriella said as her voice cracked.

Gabriella stood up and picked up her keys.

"Babe, where are you going?" Troy asked.

"To tell my mother how I really feel about this whole thing! I can't believe this" Gabriella said breaking down.

Troy took Gabriella into his arms and let her cry. He rubbed her back soothingly. Troy kissed her cheek and forehead softly. Ten minutes later, Gabriella's cries subsided. Troy took the keys out of Gabriella's hand.

"I'm not going to let you get on a plane and go over there. It's not worth it Gabriella" Troy said.

Gabriella sniffled.

"Why is she doing this to me?" Gabriella asked to no one in particular.

"Brie, she just wants to live her life" Troy said.

"I feel disowned. What did I do to deserve this?" Gabriella asked.

Troy's face softened as Gabriella broke down.

"Babe, you didn't anything wrong. Your mom wants to live her own life" Troy said.

"She didn't even ask me how I felt" Gabriella said.

Troy nodded.

"I want to get on a plane and tell her how I feel" Gabriella said.

"Brie, no. Going there is only going to get you more upset" Troy said.

Gabriella wiped a tear that was running down her face.

"How about this? I am going to call Tay and the two of you can watch all your girly chick flicks tonight. Will that help you feel a little better?" Troy asked.

"I'll try it" Gabriella said.

Troy smiled slightly.

"I will take Josh with me to Chad's" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded. She leaned in and kissed Troy's lips passionately. Troy kissed her back and pulled back a little. Gabriella kissed Troy's lips and wrapped her arms around his neck. He put his hand on his wife's cheek and pulled back.

"Baby, you doing that, isn't going to make you feel any better" Troy said.

"I just need to feel like I'm loved by someone because the person that was supposed to love me forever doesn't" Gabriella said.

"Gabs, I'm not going to take advantage of you when you are like this. That's wrong. I love you so much but doing that, will only hurt you more" Troy said.

"I don't want to hang out with Tay anymore" Gabriella said.

"You don't?" Troy asked.

Gabriella shook her head.

"I need you to stay with me. I want you to" Gabriella said.

Troy nodded.

"Then I will stay. I will watch a girly movie with you if that makes you feel a little better" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded. She leaned in and kissed Troy's lips softly. Troy pulled back and smiled.

"I love you Gabriella and I always will" Troy said.

"I love you too Troy" Gabriella said.

That night, the couple put Josh to bed and went downstairs and into the living room. They sat down on the couch. Gabriella snuggled into Troy's chest. Troy wrapped his arm around his wife and kissed her head softly.

"What girly movie do you want to watch?" Troy asked.

"I can pick any of them?" Gabriella asked.

"No shirtless men movies" Troy joked.

Gabriella looked at Troy and giggled. She picked a movie and put it into the DVD player. Troy rolled his eyes when he saw the credits roll and "A Walk To Remember" came onto the screen.

"Brie, this movie makes you cry" Troy said.

"Maybe I just need to cry" Gabriella said snuggling into her husband's chest.

The couple watched the movie and like Troy predicted, Gabriella cried through half the movie. After it ended, Troy looked at his wife and smiled.

"Feel a little better?" Troy asked.

Gabriella nodded.

"Thanks baby" Gabriella said.

"No problem" Troy said.

The couple went to bed. Later that night, Gabriella was tossing and turning. She opened her eyes and got out of bed and walked out of the bedroom. Gabriella went into the living room and to the cabinet where all of the family pictures were. She pulled out a box that was labeled "Dad" and opened it. Gabriella smiled when she saw childhood photos of her and her dad. She was so busy looking through pictures that she didn't hear Troy come into the room.

"Sweetheart, are you okay?" Troy asked concerned.

Gabriella froze and looked up.

"You scared me baby" Gabriella said putting her hand to her heart.

"Sorry. Are you okay?" Troy repeated.

"Just thinking" Gabriella said.

Troy saw Gabriella going through photo albums and sat down next to her.

"You know it's three AM right? What's on your mind?" Troy asked.

"Nothing, just memories" Gabriella said.

"This couldn't wait until the morning?" Troy asked.

"My mind wouldn't stop thinking" Gabriella said.

Troy looked at the pictures that Gabriella was looking at and smiled.

"You look cute in this one" Troy said pointing to a picture in the album.

Gabriella smiled.

"That was the first day of kindergarten. My dad insisted that I take a picture" Gabriella said.

"I'm glad he took one. We can show Josh how cute his mom is" Troy said.

Gabriella turned a couple pages and smiled.

"That was what I looked like when I was born" Gabriella said pointing to a family picture after her birth.

Troy smiled.

"Your mom looks relieved" Troy said.

Gabriella giggled and nodded. Troy put his hand on top of Gabriella's.

"Baby, I think you need to get some sleep" Troy said.

Gabriella sighed and nodded.

"We can look at more pictures later okay?" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded. The couple got up and walked into the bedroom and got into bed.

"Good night. I love you" Troy said.

"I love you too" Gabriella said.

The couple fell asleep to each other's heartbeat. Later that morning, Gabriella was at work. She was looking through paperwork when a thought came into her mind. Gabriella picked up the phone and dialed Troy's office number.

"Dr. Bolton's office. Nicole speaking" Nicole said.

"Hey Nicole, it's Gabi. Is Troy available?" Gabriella asked.

Let me check for you" Nicole said.

Gabriella was put on hold and then immediately connected to Troy's line.

"Hi sweetheart. What's going on?" Troy asked.

"I know you are going to say no and that you don't want me to get hurt but I'm going to ask anyway" Gabriella said.

"Oh boy. I don't like where this is going. What is your question babe?" Troy asked.

"I want to go see my mom. I want to talk to her and just tell her how I am feeling about this whole ordeal. I know you are going to say that you don't want me to but this situation isn't going to get better and I don't want to lose my mom. I can't lose her Troy" Gabriella said.

Troy took a deep breath and released it.

"I just don't want you to get hurt Brie. Seeing you cry and hurt like you have been since she told us has not been easy. I don't want you to get even more hurt if you go there" Troy said.

Gabriella sighed in defeat.

"I didn't say no or that you shouldn't go see her. I want you to see her baby. I just don't want you to go there and find out more information that you didn't know about and get hurt" Troy said.

"So then what should I do?" Gabriella asked.

"If your heart tells you that you need to go see your mom, then go. I will support your decision" Troy said.

"I want to go see her" Gabriella said.

Troy nodded.

"Alright. Book your flight" Troy said.

Gabriella smiled.

"Thanks baby" Gabriella said.

"No problem. Is everything else okay?" Troy asked.

"Yeah, everything is fine. Just finishing some divorce contracts" Gabriella said.

"Fun. I have to go back to work but I will see you when I get home okay?" Troy said.

"Okay. I love you Troy" Gabriella said.

"I love you too Gabriella" Troy said.

The couple hung up. Gabriella took a deep breath and released it. Now, the challenge was going to be getting to New York and seeing her mother with another man.


	18. Man vs Family

A week later, the couple was at the airport. Gabriella was going to fly to New York to visit her mother. Troy and Gabriella were waiting at the gate where Gabriella's plane would be taking off.

"Are you nervous?" Troy asked.

"A little bit. But, it's more anxiety than anything else" Gabriella said.

"If you want to come home, then do it. Don't feel like you have to stay there babe" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded. Gabriella's flight was called and hoards of people started boarding the plane.

"Have a safe flight. Call me when you get there okay?" Troy said.

"Okay" Gabriella said.

"I love you" Troy said.

"I love you too" Gabriella said.

Gabriella boarded the plane and it took off a couple minutes later. Six hours later, she arrived in New York. Gabriella picked up her luggage at baggage claim and went to the car dealership, where her rental car was waiting for her. Once she got into the car and started driving, Gabriella looked at the time and smiled. She dialed her husband's number.

"Baby" Troy said.

"I landed" Gabriella said.

"Good. Are you on your way to your mom's?" Troy asked.

"Yeah. I still haven't told her that I am here" Gabriella said.

"Okay. How was the flight?" Troy asked.

"It was fine. No problems" Gabriella said.

"Okay. I'll let you go. Say hi to your mom for me" Troy said.

"I love you Troy" Gabriella said.

"I love you too baby. Be careful" Troy said.

"I will" Gabriella said.

The couple hung up. Gabriella drove to her mother's house and parked her car. She took a deep breath and released it. Gabriella got out of the car and walked to the front door. She rang the doorbell and waited for someone to answer. The door opened and a man, who was probably in his mid-fifties answered the door.

"Hi. Are you looking for someone?" the man asked.

"Does Maria Montez live here?" Gabriella asked.

Maria came to the front door and her eyes widened.

"Gabi" Maria breathed.

"Hi mom" Gabriella said.

"What are you doing here?" Maria asked.

"You didn't want me to come visit you?" Gabriella asked.

"No honey, it's not that" Maria started.

"Then what is it? Is it the fact that I remind you of my dad who is deceased?" Gabriella asked raising her voice in the process.

Maria turned to the man and smiled apologetically. The man left the room so that Maria and Gabriella could be alone.

"Gabi" Maria said.

"No mom. Listen to me. You never asked me about dating another man. You call me and tell me that you are engaged like it's not a big deal. It is a big deal mom. You don't understand that" Gabriella continued.

"Gabriella listen to me please" Maria said.

"No, you listen. You have had your time to talk. You don't think that I wouldn't be affected by your new marriage or relationship? Do you know what I have been doing for the past month since you told me that you got engaged mom? I've been looking through family pictures of you, my dad, and I, wishing that life could go back to those simpler and easier times. You don't think that I'm hurt by all of this?" Gabriella said.

"Gabi, I understand that this is going to be a hard transition-" Maria started.

"A hard transition would be you introducing me to a new boyfriend. A marriage is the next level. Is that why you moved to New York? So you could live your life and date men without me knowing and then once you found a good one, you marry them?" Gabriella asked.

"I moved here for work. Mark is just-"Maria started.

"Just a replacement for my dad" Gabriella said.

"Gabriella, he will never take the place of your dad" Maria said calmly.

"You never asked me or talked to me about it. Do you know how hurt I am?" Gabriella asked.

"I'm sorry that this news hurt you. I know that what I did was wrong. But, Gabi I am a grown woman" Maria said.

"I'm a grown woman too but Troy still asked for your permission to marry me. Neither your fiancée or you asked me. I'm your daughter mom. Just because dad died, doesn't mean you can write me off and say have a nice life" Gabriella said.

"I'm sorry that I made you feel that way" Maria said.

Gabriella took a deep breath and released it.

"I accept your apology but it doesn't take the pain away" Gabriella said.

Maria nodded.

"Would you like to meet him?" Maria asked.

"I'm here for a week. I think I just need to sleep on what happened. Maybe I'll feel like meeting him tomorrow" Gabriella said.

Maria nodded. Gabriella left her mother's house and drove to her hotel. Once she got into her room, Gabriella dialed Troy's number.

"Hey baby, did you see your mom?" Troy asked.

"We just fought" Gabriella said.

"What?" Troy asked.

"We were yelling and screaming. It wasn't pretty" Gabriella said.

"Are you okay?" Troy asked.

"Yeah, I just need time to think about everything" Gabriella said.

Troy sighed.

"He was living with her Troy" Gabriella said.

"Did you say anything to him?" Troy asked.

"No" Gabriella said.

"Did she introduce you to him?" Troy asked.

"I said that I need to sleep on what happened today and that maybe tomorrow I will feel like meeting him" Gabriella said.

"You did the right thing for yourself sweetheart. I'm proud of you" Troy said.

"Thanks. How's my baby?" Gabriella asked.

"Well, I'm fine-" Troy started.

Gabriella laughed.

"Not you, my infant child" Gabriella said giggling.

"I'm just trying to get you to smile" Troy said.

"Well you did. Troy, answer the question please" Gabriella said.

"He's fine. I fed him and he's currently sleeping" Troy said.

"Good and how is my other baby?" Gabriella asked.

"Did we have another baby that you didn't tell me about?" Troy joked.

"Troy! How are you doing baby?" Gabriella asked laughing.

"I'm fine. Chad came over and helped out a little bit with Josh" Troy said.

"Good" Gabriella said looking at the clock on the bedside table.

"Isn't it eleven o' clock over there?" Troy asked.

"Yeah" Gabriella said.

"You should get some sleep sweetheart. You are probably going to have a long day tomorrow" Troy said.

"Okay" Gabriella said.

"Night baby. I love you" Troy said.

"Night. I love you too" Gabriella said.

The couple hung up. Gabriella fell asleep hoping that everything would be okay this week with her mother. The next morning, Gabriella woke up to her phone ringing.

"Hello?" Gabriella answered.

"Good morning Gabi" Maria said.

"Morning mom" Gabriella said.

"I was wondering if you wanted to go to brunch with us?" Maria asked.

"Okay" Gabriella said.

"Can you be ready in like a half hour? We will come pick you up" Maria said.

"Okay" Gabriella said wiping the sleep from her eyes.

The two women hung up. Gabriella got out of bed and took a shower. Ten minutes later, she emerged from the bathroom feeling better than she had been. Gabriella's phone started ringing again and she saw Troy's picture come onto the screen. She picked it up.

"Hey baby" Gabriella said.

"Good morning. You sound happier" Troy said.

"I'm trying to be positive. I'm going to brunch with mom and the fiancée" Gabriella said.

"That sounds fun" Troy said.

"I just don't want to fight anymore" Gabriella said.

"I know you don't sweetheart. You both need to get through the beginning of this new chapter together" Troy said.

Gabriella sighed.

"How's Josh?" Gabriella asked.

"He's fine. He's taking his first nap" Troy said.

"Oh" Gabriella said.

"Go be with mom and just try not to fight okay?" Troy said.

"I'll try but only for you" Gabriella said.

Troy smiled.

"I love you sweetheart" Troy said.

"I love you too" Gabriella said.

Gabriella walked downstairs and went to the entrance of the hotel and saw her mother's car waiting for her. She walked over to the car and opened the back seat door and got in.

"Hi honey" Maria said as she started driving.

"Hi" Gabriella said.

"How did you sleep?" Maria asked.

"Fine" Gabriella said.

Maria pulled up to the restaurant and parked her car. The couple and Gabriella got out of the car.

"Gabi, this is Mark. This is my daughter, Gabi" Maria said.

"Hi Gabi, nice to meet you" Mark said.

Mark was tall and had dark brown hair. He was probably the same age as Maria. He held out his hand.

"It's Gabriella. Gabi is used by my mother only" Gabriella said walking toward the restaurant.

"Gabriella" Maria warned.

"You didn't say I had to like him" Gabriella said.

The three adults were seated at a table.

"How is Josh doing?" Maria asked.

"He's fine. Troy is home with him" Gabriella said.

"How old is he?" Mark asked.

"A month and a half" Gabriella said.

"Oh wow. You have a little one" Mark said.

Gabriella nodded.

"Gabriella, I wanted to meet you and just not have all this fighting going on between you and your mother" Mark said.

Gabriella looked at her mother and then at Mark.

"What goes on between my mom and I stays between my mom and I. There shouldn't be any discussion about it" Gabriella said.

"I know that it is not my place to say anything-" Mark started.

"You are right. It's not your place" Gabriella said.

"But I know that your dad would have wanted your mom to be happy and find someone that could do that for her" Mark said.

Gabriella's mouthed dropped. She picked up her purse and left the table. Gabriella walked the ten minute walk back to her hotel and went upstairs to her room. She dialed Troy's number as fast as she could.

"Dr. Bolton" Troy answered.

"You will not believe what he just said to me Troy" Gabriella said.

"What happened?" Troy asked.

"He said that my dad would have wanted my mom to be happy and to find someone who could do that for her" Gabriella said.

"Ouch. What did you say to that?" Troy asked.

"I got up and left. I want to come home" Gabriella said.

"Then come home baby" Troy said.

"I'm getting the first flight out" Gabriella said.

A couple hours later, Gabriella's plane landed at the airport. She walked to baggage claim and saw Troy waiting for her. Tears filled her eyes and she ran into her husband's arms. Troy held his wife in his arms and kissed her head lovingly.

"Sh..it's okay baby. Everything is okay" Troy said rubbing her back.

"I tried. I really did" Gabriella said as tears ran down her face.

"I know you did Brie and I'm proud of you for trying" Troy said.

Gabriella sighed and closed her eyes. She wanted to stay in Troy's arms forever.

"Let's go home and see Josh" Troy said wiping his wife's tears away.

Gabriella nodded. The couple left the airport and drove home. Twenty minutes later, the couple arrived home and walked into the house. Gabriella saw Lucille holding Josh.

"Hi baby boy!" Gabriella said as her mother-in-law placed her son into her arms.

Gabriella kissed Josh's head softly.

"He was okay while I was in hell?" Gabriella asked.

Troy smiled.

"He was an angel as always. How did everything go in New York?" Lucille asked.

"It was horrible Lucille. I'm not kidding you. I rang the doorbell when I first got there and the fiancée answered the door as if it was his house" Gabriella said.

"What are you going to do?" Lucille asked.

"I don't know. I don't want to be around her and I obviously don't want Josh around her either" Gabriella said.

"It's not going to blow over" Troy said.

"I know that. Why is she doing this to me? I did nothing wrong" Gabriella said.

"Honey, you are right. You did nothing wrong. This is not your fight. She needs to make a choice. She can either keep him around and push you away or she can listen to how you feel and maybe you both can compromise an agreement. It's in her hands" Lucille said.

"She doesn't know that I left" Gabriella said.

"Don't tell her that you did. If she calls the house, I will handle it" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded and sighed. The couple and Lucille talked for a little while longer until Lucille had to leave. That night, Troy put Josh to bed and went into the bedroom and saw Gabriella getting into bed.

"Have you heard anything from your mom?" Troy asked.

"Nope" Gabriella said.

"Just relax and don't think about it. I know that it's going to be hard to do, but you need to do it for yourself baby" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded. Troy took off his shirt and pants. He got into bed and Gabriella snuggled into her husband's chest.

"I'm so glad I am home" Gabriella said.

"Me too. I missed you" Troy said.

Gabriella smiled.

"I missed you too" Gabriella said.

Gabriella leaned in and kissed Troy's lips softly. Troy kissed her back. Gabriella moved so that she was on top of Troy. She kissed his lips passionately. Troy ran his fingers through his wife's hair. Gabriella pulled down Troy's boxers. Troy pulled away and moved a stray hair out of Gabriella's face.

"Troy?" Gabriella asked.

"Hmm?" Troy asked.

"Make love to me" Gabriella said.

"Are you sure you want to baby? I don't want to take advantage of you or anything like that" Troy said.

"No, no, no baby. You aren't. I want to. I need to feel you inside of me" Gabriella said.

Troy smiled.

"Are you absolutely sure? When did the doctor say you can have sex again?" Troy asked.

"She didn't say" Gabriella said.

"We need to be careful" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded. Troy pulled down Gabriella's underwear slowly. He kissed her lips softly.

"I love you" Troy said.

"I love you too" Gabriella said.

Troy entered Gabriella and slowly started thrusting inside of her. Ten minutes into their lovemaking, Gabriella pulled away from her husband.

"Baby?" Gabriella asked.

"Yes honey?" Troy asked.

"We need to stop" Gabriella said.

Troy pulled himself out of Gabriella.

"Did I hurt you?" Troy asked.

"No Troy. It's just painful from Josh" Gabriella said looking down embarrassed.

Troy's face softened. He put his finger under Gabriella's chin and brought it up so that she was looking directly into his eyes.

"I'm sorry sweetheart" Troy said.

"It's not you. I just haven't healed I guess" Gabriella said.

"Maybe we need to wait a while until you are fully healed and checked out" Troy said.

Gabriella sighed and nodded.

"I'm sorry" Gabriella said.

"It's not your fault baby. You had a baby come out of you a month and a half ago. You are still going to be a little tender and sensitive down there" Troy said.

"We haven't had sex in a long time" Gabriella said.

"I know we haven't sweetie and I want to just as much as you do. But we both need to make sure you that you are feeling okay and that all of the sensitivity is gone before we go back to our normal routine" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded. Troy leaned in and kissed Gabriella's lips.

"I love you" Troy said.

"I love you too" Gabriella said.

"I need to take a shower" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded sadly. Troy got off the bed and picked out a pair of pajamas and walked into the bathroom. Gabriella sighed. She put her hand on her bare stomach and snuggled into the sheets. Twenty minutes later, Troy emerged from the bathroom. He got into bed and saw that Gabriella's back was to him.

"Baby" Troy said.

Gabriella turned over and looked at her husband.

"Are you okay?" Troy asked.

Gabriella nodded.

"Does it still hurt?" Troy asked.

"A little bit, but it's nothing" Gabriella said.

"It's something to me" Troy said.

Gabriella sighed.

"I promise that when everything has healed, we will try this again okay?" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded. Troy kissed Gabriella's cheek softly. The couple fell asleep in each other's arms.


	19. Nights Like These

The next morning, Troy woke up and went into Josh's room and got him ready for the day. He then picked his son up and walked into the kitchen. Troy put Josh into his day chair and went to the refrigerator and took out a bottle of milk. He placed it into the microwave and heated it for thirty seconds. After the milk was ready, Troy took it out of the microwave and placed it into his son's hungry mouth.

"There you go buddy" Troy said as he held the bottle of milk.

A couple minutes later, Gabriella came into the kitchen. Troy looked up and smiled.

"Good morning" Troy said.

"Morning" Gabriella said.

"How are you feeling?" Troy asked.

"I think I ripped something" Gabriella said.

"Are you still in pain?" Troy asked.

"A little bit" Gabriella said.

Troy took a deep breath and shook his head.

"We should have waited. I should have known better" Troy started.

"Baby, it's not your fault" Gabriella said.

"I knew that you were supposed to wait six months Brie" Troy said.

"We were anxious to do it, so we did. If I ripped something, it will heal" Gabriella said.

"I'm still responsible" Troy said.

Gabriella walked over to her husband and kissed his cheek.

"I will make an appointment with Dr. Hart and have her take a look and see what's going on" Gabriella said.

Troy nodded.

"I'm sorry" Troy said.

Gabriella smiled and put her hand on Troy's cheek.

"Don't be sorry. It wasn't your fault" Gabriella said.

Troy took a deep breath and looked down at Josh, who had pulled away from the bottle. The next day, Gabriella had an appointment with Dr. Hart. She was already in an exam room and was waiting for Troy to arrive. Gabriella heard a knock on the door and Troy poked his head in.

"Hi sweetheart" Troy said.

"Hi" Gabriella said kissing Troy's lips softly.

"How's the pain today?" Troy asked.

"The same" Gabriella said.

Troy nodded. There was a knock on the door and Dr. Hart came into the room and smiled.

"Hi guys. How is Josh doing?" Dr. Hart asked.

"He's fine. He's a very good eater" Gabriella said.

Dr. Hart smiled.

"Good. What seems to be the problem today?" Dr. Hart asked.

"I'm in pain. Troy and I had sex and I feel like something ripped. I wanted to see if something did rip" Gabriella explained.

Dr. Hart nodded and wrote notes in Gabriella's file.

"You need to wait six months for everything to be fully healed. I know that you both are anxious to have sex and see what it feels like after you have had a baby, but you need to wait. Let me examine you and see if you ripped anything" Dr. Hart said.

Gabriella nodded. She lied down on the exam table and spread her legs apart. Troy took Gabriella's hand in his.

"Take a deep breath Gabi" Dr. Hart said.

Gabriella took a deep breath and Dr. Hart started examining her. She scrunched her nose up and hissed.

"Ow" Gabriella said as Dr. Hart examined her.

"Sorry honey. That area is irritated right now. You did tear a little bit but it's not too bad. I'm just making sure there is nothing else" Dr. Hart said.

Gabriella nodded. Troy kissed Gabriella's head softly.

"Just breathe baby" Troy said.

Gabriella took a deep breath and released it. Dr. Hart came up and took off her gloves and threw them away.

"Alright. Here's the plan. No sex for six months. The tissue in there is irritated and needs time to heal. Warm baths should help soothe it and will also help relax your muscles" Dr. Hart said.

The couple nodded. Dr. Hart left the room and Troy looked at Gabriella.

"Well, at least we found out what was going on" Gabriella said.

Troy nodded. Gabriella changed back into her clothes and the couple left the office.

"Yeah. I will be home in a little bit okay? I have a couple more patients" Troy said as he stopped in front of his office.

"Okay" Gabriella said.

Troy leaned in and kissed Gabriella's lips softly.

"I love you" Troy said.

"I love you too" Gabriella said.

The couple went their separate ways. A couple hours later, Troy opened the front door and smiled when he saw Gabriella feeding Josh.

"Hey" Troy said.

"Hey" Gabriella said.

"Did he just start eating?" Troy asked.

"Yeah, but he should be done soon. Mom said that he ate a lot when I was at Dr. Hart's" Gabriella said.

"Oh" Troy said.

Josh finished eating a couple minutes later. Gabriella walked to Josh's room and placed him in his crib carefully. She then walked into the living room.

"I think I'm going to take a bath. I want to see if it will help soothe everything" Gabriella said.

"Okay" Troy said.

Gabriella walked into the bathroom and turned on the bath water and waited for the tub to fill up. She squeezed some of her favorite soap into the water. Gabriella then turned off the water once the tub had filled and got into it.

"Ow" Gabriella said as she felt the warm water hit her sensitive skin.

Gabriella closed her eyes and groaned. There was a knock on the door.

"Babe, are you okay?" Troy asked through the door.

"It's painful" Gabriella said.

"Can I come in?" Troy asked.

"Yeah" Gabriella said.

Troy opened the door and smiled.

"Does it hurt more or less in the water?" Troy asked.

"It stings in the water" Gabriella said.

"Okay. Just relax. Maybe in like ten minutes you will start to feel less pain" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded.

"Let me know if you need anything okay?" Troy said.

"Thank you baby" Gabriella said.

"No problem" Troy said closing the bathroom door.

Ten minutes later, Gabriella felt a little relief but not much. She stayed in the tub for a little while longer until she decided to get out. Gabriella drained the water and changed into her pajamas and left the bathroom. She walked into the living room and smiled when she saw Troy holding Josh, who was sleeping on his chest.

"Looks like he's a little tired" Gabriella said.

"Yeah, I think it's bed time" Troy said standing up with Josh in his arms.

The couple walked into Josh's room. Troy carefully put his son into his crib and kissed his head softly.

"Good night bud. I love you" Troy said.

Gabriella smiled. She kissed Josh's head as well.

"Night baby. I love you" Gabriella said.

Troy turned off the light and the couple walked out of the room and went into their bedroom.

"So no sex for six months" Troy said getting into bed.

"How are we going to do that?" Gabriella asked.

"We can do it. We did that when were in high school remember?" Troy said.

"Yeah, but that was then and this is now" Gabriella said.

Troy smiled.

"We will have to try babe. We need your body to heal and I don't want to cause any damage" Troy said.

Gabriella sighed.

"I don't either, but six months is a long time. Especially if we want to have another baby" Gabriella said.

Troy's eyes widened.

"I thought that we were going to wait a little while until we thought about having another one" Troy said.

"Yeah, but wouldn't you want them close in age?" Gabriella asked.

"I would but not that close" Troy said.

Gabriella sighed.

"Can we wait a little while? Maybe when this six month period of no sex is over, we can start trying. But we have to talk about it when we get to that point" Troy said.

"You don't want to have another baby" Gabriella said.

"Babe, I do want to have another baby. I just think we should wait" Troy said.

"I want you to be honest with me. Do you want to have another baby or not? I don't want to push you into it" Gabriella said.

"Brie, I want to have another baby. But I think we should wait until we are stable with Josh and everything. He's not even two months old yet" Troy said.

"Okay" Gabriella said.

Troy sighed.

"Baby" Troy started.

"No I get it" Gabriella said.

Troy leaned over and kissed Gabriella's cheek.

"Gabs" Troy said.

"What?" Gabriella asked quietly.

"I want to have another baby. I just want to wait a little bit okay? I know you want to have kids that are close in age, but we both need to be on the same page with starting to try again" Troy said softly.

Gabriella nodded.

"Let's wait until you are healed and then we will talk about this again" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded.

"How was the bath? Did it help with the pain?" Troy asked putting his hand on Gabriella's stomach.

"It helped a little bit but not a lot" Gabriella said.

"Let's try taking baths for a week and see if it does anything over time" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded. Troy kissed Gabriella's head softly. A cry filled the house and Gabriella got out of bed. She walked into Josh's room and smiled. Gabriella picked her son up and kissed his head softly.

"What's up baby? I think you need your diaper changed" Gabriella said carrying Josh over to the changing table.

Gabriella quickly changed her son's diaper and picked him up. She kissed his head softly. Josh started to whimper.

"What do you want sweetheart? Do you want to go see daddy?" Gabriella asked the infant.

Gabriella walked out of Josh's room and went into the master bedroom. Troy smiled and opened his arms. Gabriella carefully placed Josh into Troy's arms. Troy looked down at his son and smiled.

"What's going on buddy? Why are you up this late?" Troy asked.

"I changed his diaper but then when I was going to put him down, he started crying again" Gabriella explained.

"Maybe he's hungry" Troy suggested.

"I was going to try and see if he was or not" Gabriella said.

Troy nodded.

"Do you want to feed him by yourself?" Troy asked.

"No, you can stay" Gabriella said picking Josh up and sitting down on the bed.

Gabriella pulled down her shirt and placed Josh to her breast and watched him latch on. She put her hand on the back of her son's head and smiled.

"He's definitely a Bolton" Gabriella said.

Troy smiled.

"Yeah, that's for sure" Troy said.

"What's the plan for tomorrow?" Gabriella asked.

"Well, I thought we could go out. I already called mom and she agreed to watch Josh" Troy said.

Gabriella smiled.

"We haven't gone out in a while" Gabriella said.

"Yeah, and that's why I think that we need to. We've been either working, running around the house with Josh, or dealing with your mom's move. I think we deserve some time to ourselves without any distractions" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded.

"I agree" Gabriella said.

"So then it's a date?" Troy asked.

Gabriella giggled at the question that had brought back so many memories.

"It's a date" Gabriella said.

Troy looked down at his son and smiled.

"I think he knocked himself out" Troy said.

Gabriella looked down and smiled.

"Yeah, I am going to put him to bed" Gabriella said.

Troy nodded. Gabriella got out of bed carefully and walked out of the room and went into Josh's room. She placed her son in his crib and kissed his head softly.

"Night baby" Gabriella said.

Gabriella left the room and walked back to the master bedroom and got back into bed. She snuggled back into Troy's chest and sighed.

"So tomorrow let's go out to dinner, maybe a movie, and hang out. We can't have sex, so that crosses that off the list" Troy said.

"Okay. What time did you tell mom that she would watch Josh?" Gabriella asked.

"Seven. That way, we have a little time to relax when we get home from work" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded.

"That sounds good baby" Gabriella said tiredly.

Troy smiled. He leaned in and kissed Gabriella's lips softly.

"Go to sleep sweetheart. Don't try to stay up if you are exhausted" Troy said.

"Mm. I love you" Gabriella mumbled.

Troy smiled.

"I love you too" Troy said.

The couple fell asleep. The next afternoon, Gabriella came home from the office and sighed. She had a rough day and was looking forward to her date night with Troy. Gabriella jumped into the shower and washed the day off of her. Twenty minutes later, she emerged from the bathroom and saw Troy sitting on the bed watching television.

"Hey baby" Gabriella said kissing Troy's lips.

"Hey, how was the office today?" Troy asked snaking his arms around Gabriella's waist.

"Rough" Gabriella said.

"Why?" Troy asked moving a stray hair away from his wife's face.

"Everyone in my new case decided to be difficult" Gabriella said.

"I'm sorry sweetheart" Troy said.

"It's okay. As soon we finished filling out the paperwork, I literally ran out of the office and drove home" Gabriella said.

Troy smiled.

"At least you are home now" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded.

"I have cramps too" Gabriella said.

"Period cramps?" Troy asked clarifying.

Gabriella nodded.

"That's good. Your body is starting to reset itself" Troy said putting his free hand on Gabriella's stomach.

"Yeah" Gabriella said.

"Let me take a shower and we will get this date night started" Troy said.

Gabriella giggled.

"Okay" Gabriella said.

Twenty minutes later, Troy emerged from the bathroom freshly shaven and dressed.

"You ready baby?" Troy asked.

"Yeah" Gabriella said.

The couple left the house and went to Gabriella's favorite Italian restaurant. Troy and Gabriella were seated immediately. Gabriella sighed contently.

"I missed these kind of nights" Gabriella said.

"Me too. You look beautiful Brie" Troy said.

Gabriella blushed.

"Thanks. You look really handsome" Gabriella said.

Troy smiled. He took Gabriella's hand in his.

"We should start having date night again. Like once a week or a weekend every month" Troy said.

"A weekend every month?" Gabriella asked.

"Yeah, we could go some place new each month and just explore. Plus it will give us some alone time" Troy said.

Gabriella smiled knowing what her husband meant.

"Maybe when I get the all-clear from Dr. Hart and when I get used to breastfeeding" Gabriella said.

Troy smiled and nodded.

"We can start the weekends once you get checked out and get the all-clear if you want" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded.

"I like the idea" Gabriella said.

"Then let's plan on that" Troy said.

"How do you like fatherhood so far? Was it what you were expecting?" Gabriella asked changing the subject.

"It was what I expected. I love Josh to death and I couldn't picture us without him" Troy said.

Gabriella smiled.

"What about you? How do you like motherhood?" Troy asked.

"I love being able to wake up every day and see him. I just love watching him. He's our baby that we wanted to have so bad and for so long" Gabriella said.

Troy nodded.

"You are a really great mom Brie. I want you to know that" Troy said.

Gabriella smiled.

"You are a really great dad Troy. I thought that when Josh was born, everything between the two of us was going to be hard. I thought that you being a doctor would make you feel like you knew everything there is to know about babies and that it would cause fights between us but I realized that you are going through this too and you take off your doctor hat when you get home. You are a first-time dad the second you walk in the door and we go through this stuff together" Gabriella said.

Troy smiled.

"Thank you baby. That means a lot to me. I would never in a million years want you to feel like I knew everything or that we wouldn't be on the same page with Josh. We will always be on the same page and learning how to be a parent together" Troy said.

Gabriella smiled.

"I just had a lot of situations running through my head of what could happen" Gabriella said.

Troy nodded.

"And I completely understand why you would feel that way. If I do ever make you feel that way, you need to tell me Brie" Gabriella said.

"I will" Gabriella said.

The couple ate their dinner. After they finished and paid for their meal, the couple left the restaurant and walked hand-in-hand to the car. They drove home and parked their car. Troy and Gabriella walked into the house.

"It's weird walking into the house and not hearing any crying" Gabriella said.

"Yeah, but it gives us a little break" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded. Troy wrapped his arms around Gabriella and kissed her lips softly.

"I love you" Troy said.

Gabriella smiled.

"I love you too" Gabriella said.

The couple relaxed around the house and went to sleep that night, content on how their lives had changed.


	20. It Was Worth The Wait

A couple weeks later, Gabriella had gotten home from work early. She had relieved her mother-in-law from watching Josh and was currently cleaning the kitchen. Gabriella heard the front door open and smiled.

"Honey?" Troy called.

"In the kitchen" Gabriella said.

Troy walked into the kitchen. Gabriella looked up at him and frowned when she saw the look on her husband's face. Troy's tie was loosened, his hair was going in every direction possible, eyes were bloodshot, and he just looked like a mess.

"What happened baby?" Gabriella asked.

"I lost a patient today" Troy said.

Gabriella's eyes softened.

"Baby, I'm so sorry" Gabriella said.

Troy sighed.

"I did everything I could to save her, but I guess that it wasn't enough" Troy said.

"Troy, don't beat yourself up about it. You can only do so much for someone" Gabriella said.

Troy nodded.

"It's just that, now that we have a baby, it puts me in her parent's shoes and how they are feeling right now. If I ever lost you or Josh-"Troy started.

"Hey, hey, hey. Don't even finish that sentence. Babe, you are not going to lose us. Not now and not ever okay?" Gabriella said putting her hands on both sides of his face.

"It just put things in perspective" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded. She kissed Troy's lips lovingly.

"Why don't you go take a shower and relax? Josh won't be up for another hour" Gabriella said taking both of her hands off her husband's face and wrapping one around his waist and rubbed it gently.

Troy nodded. He leaned in and kissed Gabriella's lips passionately.

"I love you" Troy said.

Gabriella smiled.

"I love you too" Gabriella said.

Troy walked into the bathroom and took a shower. Twenty minutes later, Troy emerged from the bathroom and heard Josh crying. He walked into his son's room and smiled.

"Hey buddy, what's going on?" Troy asked lifting Josh out of his crib.

Troy kissed his son's head and smiled.

"Let's go see what mommy is doing" Troy said.

Troy walked out of the room and went into the living room and smiled when he saw Gabriella.

"Look who is awake" Troy said.

Gabriella looked up and smiled.

"He was supposed to sleep for another hour" Gabriella said.

"I guess he didn't want to" Troy said.

Gabriella smiled.

"How are you feeling?" Gabriella asked as Troy sat down next to her.

"A little more relaxed but I'm still thinking about everything" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded.

"This was the first death that I have ever had in my care" Troy said.

"I wish there was something I could do to help you feel better" Gabriella said.

Troy smiled and leaned over and kissed Gabriella's lips softly. Gabriella pulled back slowly and leaned her forehead against her husband's.

"Just being able to see you and Josh, happy and healthy, makes me feel a lot better" Troy said.

Gabriella smiled and leaned in and kissed Troy's lips.

"I love you" Gabriella said.

"I love you too sweetheart. So much" Troy said.

Josh made a sound. Gabriella giggled and looked down and smiled at the infant.

"We love you too baby" Gabriella said.

"Have you talked to Tay?" Troy asked.

"A little bit. She and Chad are going to find out if they are having a girl or a boy next week" Gabriella said.

"That's exciting" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded.

"You are thinking about baby number two aren't you?" Troy asked.

"It's hard not to" Gabriella said truthfully.

Troy smiled. He kissed Gabriella's forehead softly.

"We have a couple months to go until you will get the all-clear. We need to wait until then" Troy said.

"I know" Gabriella said.

"You can help Tay out with all the baby stuff since you have been through it already" Troy said.

"Yeah. Have you talked to Chad?" Gabriella asked.

"A little bit. He told me that he stepped up to the plate and is very involved in Tay's pregnancy" Troy said.

Gabriella raised her eyebrow.

"Really?" Gabriella asked.

Troy nodded.

"He said he's been reading pregnancy books when Tay's not home" Troy said.

"Chad? Are we talking about the same person?" Gabriella asked.

"It's hard to believe. I know, but I think he's really excited and really scared" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded.

"You were scared too" Gabriella said.

"I was. If we have this second baby, I think that I will be a little more relaxed. But still over protective" Troy said.

Gabriella smiled.

"I hope that my mom will make an effort to come down here when I get pregnant" Gabriella said.

Troy smiled slightly and nodded.

"I hope so too baby" Troy said.

"I would want to feel like I had someone in my family here" Gabriella said.

Troy nodded.

"What's going on with the wedding stuff?" Troy asked carefully.

"I don't know. I haven't asked and no one has told me anything. I'm assuming that I won't be in it" Gabriella said.

"I'm sure that you will be. You are her daughter" Troy said.

Gabriella shrugged.

"She knows that I don't agree with her getting married" Gabriella said.

"But you are still family. Whether you both like it or not" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded. She looked down and saw that Josh had fallen asleep.

"I'm going to put him down" Gabriella said.

"Okay" Troy said.

Gabriella got up and walked into Josh's room and placed him into his crib. She then walked back into the room and sat in her previous seat.

"You both need to go through this new phase together" Troy said.

"Yeah I know. It just doesn't feel like we are on the same page. She's over here and I'm here" Gabriella said putting her hands in opposite directions.

Troy nodded.

"I don't want to talk about this anymore" Gabriella said.

"Then we won't. If you don't feel comfortable talking about it baby, we won't. I just want to try and help you through this because I know you are hurting. Even when you don't want me to know" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded. She leaned over and kissed Troy's lips softly.

"I appreciate it. I just don't want to feel this way anymore" Gabriella said softly.

"I know you don't sweetheart. I know you don't and I know that it's hard. I wish I could say that everything is going to be okay but that's up to the both of you to figure out" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded. She wrapped her arms around her husband and sighed. Troy kissed Gabriella's head lovingly.

"I just wish that she didn't have to move all the time and that she could stay in one place. If she stayed here, then she wouldn't be dating or getting engaged" Gabriella said.

Troy nodded. He put his hand on the small of her back and rubbed it in soothing circles.

"I know baby, I know" Troy said.

The couple relaxed around the house the rest of the day. They hoped that everything would be alright with Maria. A couple months later, Josh was six months old and was starting to look more and more like Troy every day. One day, Troy came home from work and saw Josh in his day chair.

"Hey buddy. Where's your mom?" Troy asked kissing his son's head softly.

"In the kitchen" Gabriella said.

Troy walked into the kitchen and kissed Gabriella's lips softly. Gabriella had lost all of her baby weight faster than she thought she would. Breastfeeding Josh had made her burn calories faster than working out at the gym had and she was grateful for it.

"How was your day?" Troy asked.

"Fine. I had an appointment with Dr. Hart today" Gabriella said.

Troy raised his eyebrow and looked at his wife.

"Everything okay?" Troy asked.

Gabriella nodded.

"She wanted to make sure everything had healed" Gabriella said.

"And is everything okay?" Troy asked.

"Yeah, she gave me the all-clear" Gabriella said.

Troy smiled.

"Then we need to have that talk about trying again" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded.

"Do you want to try?" Gabriella asked.

"The real question should be, can we handle another baby right now?" Troy asked.

"Josh is six months old and if I get pregnant now then he will be a year and a half once the baby comes" Gabriella said.

"What about our work schedule? We are always working and I don't want you to be over-exerting yourself like with Josh" Troy said.

"I will slow down on work. I think that since we have had Josh, I have slowed down" Gabriella said.

Troy nodded in confirmation.

"You really want to do this now?" Troy asked.

"Do you not?" Gabriella asked.

"I am happy either way. But, it's your body that is going to go through everything. That's why I am asking you all this stuff. I don't want what happened with Josh to happen again" Troy said.

"I don't either. That's why I am going to slow down on work and try to keep my stress level under control so we don't have to do that again" Gabriella said.

"You need to promise me that you will slow down and not stress yourself out" Troy said.

"I promise" Gabriella said.

Troy nodded and smiled slightly.

"Let's make a baby" Troy said.

Gabriella smiled. She jumped into Troy's arms and wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed his cheek softly. A month later, Troy came home late from work and saw the house dark. He flipped on the light switch of the living room and didn't see Gabriella.

"Baby?" Troy called.

Silence filled the house. He walked into the bedroom and saw Gabriella sleeping peacefully and smiled. She needed her rest. The couple had started trying the night that Gabriella had gotten the all-clear. Troy kissed Gabriella's head softly and saw her eyes flutter open.

"Hey baby, you okay?" Troy asked.

Gabriella nodded sleepily.

"Long day at the office. My clients were difficult to deal with today" Gabriella said.

"I'm sorry honey" Troy said.

"It's okay. I just wanted to come home and relax" Gabriella said.

Troy smiled.

"Where's the stud?" Troy asked jokingly.

Gabriella smiled at the nickname Troy had given Josh.

"My mom took him for the weekend. She wanted to give us a break since I told her that we are starting to try again" Gabriella said.

Troy smiled.

"That was nice of her. Are you inferring that you want to try again tonight?" Troy asked.

"I mean, we can if you want to. If you are too tired, I understand" Gabriella said.

Troy kissed Gabriella's lips softly.

"You are a lot more positive about trying this time around than the last time" Troy said.

"I just have a feeling that it's going to happen soon" Gabriella said.

"You think so?" Troy asked.

Gabriella nodded.

"I just got off of my period too. So it's the best time to try" Gabriella said.

Troy smiled.

"You've been reading" Troy said.

"Of course. I wanted to understand the process better" Gabriella said stroking his cheek.

"Let me go say goodnight to my son and I will be back" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded. Troy got up and walked out of the room and went into Josh's. He kissed his son's head softly.

"Night night buddy. Daddy loves you" Troy said.

Troy walked out of the room and went back into the bedroom. He got into bed and Gabriella instinctively wrapped her arms around Troy's torso. Troy started kissing Gabriella's neck softly and moved his hands to Gabriella's hips. He felt Gabriella's muscles tense up and pulled away slightly.

"Please Troy" Gabriella moaned.

"Tell me if I hurt you Brie" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded. Troy carefully removed Gabriella's pajama bottoms and pulled down her underwear. He carefully entered Gabriella and looked at her as he did to see if she felt any discomfort.

"You okay?" Troy asked.

Gabriella nodded. Troy leaned down and captured Gabriella's lips in a passionate kiss. Troy started gently thrusting into Gabriella.

"Troy" Gabriella moaned.

Troy could feel her tightening around him, not wanting to let go. Gabriella arched her back and was panting slightly.

"Baby, let it happen. It's okay" Troy said softly.

Gabriella tightened her grip on her husband and reached her orgasm. Troy collapsed gently on top of her. Gabriella tried to regain her breath. Troy leaned in and kissed her swollen lips softly.

"Every time we try, it's even better than the previous" Gabriella said as she finally regained her breath.

Troy nodded.

"That's a good thing" Troy said entwining their fingers together.

"I couldn't hang that long this time though" Gabriella said.

"The amount of time you can "hang" doesn't matter. It's the amount that counts" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded.

"Sex feels so much more adventurous after having a baby" Gabriella said.

Troy smiled.

"It was worth the wait" Troy said.

"Definitely. I've been waiting since the day we were told that I had to wait six months" Gabriella said.

Troy nodded. He leaned in and kissed Gabriella's lips softly.

"I love you" Troy said.

"I love you too" Gabriella said.

That night, the couple slept soundly in each other's arms. They couldn't wait to add another member to their family.


	21. Here We Go Again

A week later, Gabriella had come home from work and immediately went into the bathroom. She pulled out a brown paper bag and took a pregnancy test out of it. Gabriella read the instructions carefully and took the test. She then set the test on the counter and waited three minutes. Once the timer went off, Gabriella took a deep breath and looked at the test result.

 _Negative._

Gabriella sighed in defeat. She threw away the test and left the bathroom. Gabriella poked her head into Josh's room and saw him sleeping soundly. She smiled. An hour later, Gabriella heard the front door open and close.

"Honey?" Troy called.

"In the living room" Gabriella said.

Troy walked into the living room and smiled.

"Hey sweetheart" Troy said.

"Hi" Gabriella said turning to the television.

Troy looked at Gabriella confused. He sat down next to her and put his arm around her.

"What's wrong?" Troy asked.

"I took a test today" Gabriella said.

Troy nodded.

"And?" Troy asked.

"And it was negative" Gabriella said.

Troy took a deep breath in and released it.

"I'm sorry baby" Troy said.

"I just don't want this to be like last time" Gabriella said.

"I know you don't Brie. We just have to keep trying" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded.

"We only just started trying. It may not happen overnight. You know that" Troy said.

"Yeah, but I wish it could" Gabriella said.

Troy smiled and kissed Gabriella's head softly.

"I know. When the time is right, it will happen" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded. She put her hand on her flat stomach.

"How was Josh with mom?" Troy asked.

"She said that he was fine. He's taking his nap still" Gabriella said.

Troy nodded.

"We could try again tonight if you want to" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded. Troy smiled.

"We can use all the practice that we can get" Gabriella said.

Troy nodded. That night, Gabriella was taking a shower. Troy had put Josh to bed and walked into the bathroom and knocked on the shower door. Gabriella opened the door a little bit and smiled.

"Mind if I join you?" Troy asked.

Gabriella smiled and shook her head. She opened the door and Troy undressed and got into the shower and closed the door behind him. Gabriella looked up at her husband and smiled.

"This reminds me of high school" Gabriella said.

Troy chuckled.

"Yeah, we always had a secretive way of having sex in our parents homes" Troy said.

Gabriella smiled. She looked Troy up and down. Gabriella leaned in and kissed Troy's lips softly. Troy put his hand on the small of Gabriella's back and kissed her back. He then reached down to Gabriella's knees and lifted them over his hip. Gabriella wrapped her arms around Troy's neck and wrapped her legs securely around his waist. Troy leaned and kissed Gabriella passionately.

"I love you" Troy said.

Gabriella smiled.

"I love you too" Gabriella said.

"Are you ready?" Troy asked.

Gabriella nodded. Troy carefully entered Gabriella and felt her grip his shoulders. Once Troy was positioned, he looked up at his wife, looking for signs of discomfort in her eyes.

"Feeling okay?" Troy asked.

Gabriella nodded. She leaned in and kissed Troy softly. Troy walked to the shower wall and had Gabriella's back leaning against it. He started thrusting back and forth. Gabriella moaning in pleasure in the process.

"Troy please" Gabriella moaned.

Troy kissed Gabriella's neck softly and made his way down to her chest. Gabriella dug her nails into her husband's shoulder. Troy's thrusts became faster. The couple made love for two hours with no breaks in between.

"Troy" Gabriella moaned tiredly.

"Don't hold it in sweetheart. Let it happen naturally" Troy said.

Gabriella tried to catch her breath as she reached her orgasm. Once she did, Gabriella collapsed against Troy's body. Troy kissed Gabriella's lips softly.

"I think that was the best sex we have ever had" Troy said.

Gabriella smiled.

"Hopefully we made a baby" Gabriella said.

Troy smiled.

"Hopefully" Troy said.

Troy and Gabriella took a shower and made sure they were both clean. The couple got out of the shower and got dressed into their pajamas. They got into bed. Gabriella placed her head on Troy's chest and wrapped her arms around his torso. Troy wrapped his arm around Gabriella's waist.

"What's the plan for tomorrow?" Troy asked.

"I have to go into the office and check on some things. Will you be home late?" Gabriella asked.

"I have a consultation for a new patient starting at three. I don't know if I will get out on time" Troy said.

"Okay. Then you get here, when you get here" Gabriella said.

Troy kissed Gabriella's cheek softly.

"I love you baby" Troy said.

Gabriella smiled.

"I love you too" Gabriella said.

A couple weeks later, Gabriella had found out some exciting news. She came home from work and saw Troy trying to comfort a crying Josh.

"What happened?" Gabriella asked putting her purse down.

"He woke up early from his nap and is a little cranky" Troy said rubbing his son's back gently.

Once Josh calmed down, Troy sat down on the couch with Josh in his arms.

"So I have some news" Gabriella said sitting down next to her husband.

Troy looked up and smiled.

"What's up?" Troy asked.

"I'm pregnant" Gabriella said.

Troy's smile grew.

"Really? " Troy asked.

Gabriella nodded.

"When did you find out?" Troy asked.

"This afternoon. I took a test at work" Gabriella said.

Troy smiled.

"You pump at work and you take pregnancy tests at work. What do you not do at work?" Troy joked.

Gabriella smiled and decided to play along.

"Make a baby at work" Gabriella said.

Troy smiled.

"Did you-" Troy started but was interrupted.

"I set up an appointment with Dr. Hart already and called Pat and made sure you didn't have any appointments during that time. You are good to go" Gabriella said.

"You thought of everything" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded.

"When is the appointment?" Troy asked.

"Tomorrow at eleven" Gabriella said.

"Okay" Troy said.

Troy kissed Gabriella's lips softly and then kissed her stomach.

"We are having a baby" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded. The next day, Gabriella walked into Troy's office and smiled when she saw Pat.

"He's finishing up with a patient Gabi" Pat said.

"Thanks Pat" Gabriella said as she sat down and waited for her husband.

A couple minutes later, a family came out of an exam room followed by Troy. Troy put the file that he was holding back in its place and looked up and smiled when he saw Gabriella. He walked into the waiting room.

"Hey baby. You ready to go?" Troy asked.

"Yeah" Gabriella said.

The couple went upstairs to the obstetrics floor. Gabriella signed herself in and sat down next to Troy.

"Nervous?" Troy asked.

Gabriella shook her head.

"I'm not nervous this time. I already know what to expect" Gabriella said.

Troy smiled.

"Are you nervous?" Gabriella asked.

"No. I feel a lot more relaxed than the last time" Troy said.

"Good" Gabriella said.

Gabriella's name was called and the couple went into an exam room. The nurse handed Gabriella a gown and left the room. Gabriella changed into the gown and sat on the exam table. A couple minutes later there was a knock on the door and Dr. Hart walked in.

"Hi guys. How's Josh doing?" Dr. Hart asked.

"He's doing well. He's sleeping through the night" Gabriella said.

"That's great. So what's going on?" Dr. Hart asked as she washed her hands.

"I took a pregnancy test yesterday and it came back positive" Gabriella said.

Dr. Hart smiled.

"You both wasted no time after you got the all-clear" Dr. Hart said jokingly.

The couple smiled.

"I wanted kids that were close in age" Gabriella said.

Dr. Hart nodded.

"Okay, let's do an ultrasound and see what's going on" Dr. Hart said.

Gabriella lied down on the bed. Troy took Gabriella's hand in his. Dr. Hart put a blanket over Gabriella's legs and raised her gown above her bellybutton. She turned on the ultrasound and grabbed a bottle of gel and squeezed some of the product onto Gabriella's stomach. Dr. Hart then moved the gel around Gabriella's stomach and looked at the monitor.

"There's your baby" Dr. Hart said pointing to a dot on the screen.

The couple smiled.

"You are in the early stages still so that is why it looks so small" Dr. Hart said.

Gabriella nodded.

"How far along is she?" Troy asked.

Dr. Hart moved the wand around Gabriella's stomach again and stopped.

"I would say about two or three weeks. You found out really early" Dr. Hart said.

"Wow. That is early" Gabriella said.

Troy nodded in agreement.

"I would wait until you are past the miscarriage stage to announce it to anyone. Just in case something happens. Not that it will, but just as a precaution" Dr. Hart said.

The couple nodded. Dr. Hart turned off the ultrasound.

"I'm going to print these pictures for you and come back and examine you Gabi" Dr. Hart said.

Gabriella nodded. Dr. Hart left the room. Gabriella looked at her husband and smiled.

"I'm surprised that I'm only two weeks along" Gabriella said.

"We did have that crazy shower sex two weeks ago" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded.

"Are you happy?" Troy asked.

Gabriella nodded.

"So happy. I love you Troy" Gabriella said.

Troy smiled.

"I love you too Brie" Troy said kissing Gabriella's lips softly.

Dr. Hart came back into the room and handed Troy the sonogram.

"Alright Gabi, I need to examine you" Dr. Hart said.

Gabriella spread her legs apart and looked at Troy, who took her hand in his. Dr. Hart put a fresh pair of gloves on and sat at the foot of the table.

"Take a deep breath for me Gabi" Dr. Hart said.

Gabriella took a deep breath and closed her eyes. Troy squeezed Gabriella's hand for support. A couple moments later, Dr. Hart looked up from examining Gabriella.

"Everything looks fine. Just keep your stress level to a minimum and let Troy help you out with Josh" Dr. Hart said.

Gabriella nodded and sat up.

"Alright" Gabriella said.

Dr. Hart left the room. Gabriella looked at Troy and smiled. Troy winked at her.

"Now, you can't tell Tay babe. Not until you have passed three months" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded.

"It will be hard but I can do that" Gabriella said.

Troy leaned in and kissed Gabriella's lips softly. He put his hand on Gabriella's stomach. Gabriella changed back into her clothes and the couple left the office and walked back to Troy's.

"I'll see you at home. Be careful driving back" Troy said.

"Okay. Are you staying late?" Gabriella asked.

"I don't know yet. I will have to check and see. If I have to, I will call and let you know" Troy said.

"Okay" Gabriella said.

Troy leaned in and kissed Gabriella's lips softly, but passionately.

"I love you baby" Troy said.

Gabriella smiled.

"I love you too" Gabriella said.

The couple went their separate ways. A couple hours later, Troy opened the front door and walked into the house. He walked into the living room and smiled when he saw Gabriella lying down on the couch with Josh on her chest, watching television.

"Hey sweetheart" Troy said.

Gabriella looked at Troy and smiled.

"Hi baby" Gabriella said.

"Is he knocked out?" Troy asked.

Gabriella nodded. She kissed her son's head softly. Troy opened his arms and carefully took Josh off Gabriella's chest.

"I'll put him down" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded. Troy walked into Josh's room and placed his son in his crib. He then walked back into the living room.

"How are you doing?" Troy asked.

"Fine" Gabriella said snuggling into her husband's chest.

"Feeling okay?" Troy asked.

Gabriella smiled and nodded.

"I'm so happy that we are pregnant again" Gabriella said.

Troy smiled and nodded.

"Me too. I'm glad that it wasn't as hard as the last time" Troy said.

"Yeah" Gabriella said.

"Are you nervous about this baby?" Troy asked.

"I know what to expect but there is always fear that is in the back of my mind" Gabriella said.

"What are you afraid of?" Troy asked.

"What if something goes wrong? Or my stress level goes up like last time? Stuff like that" Gabriella said.

Troy kissed Gabriella's temple lovingly.

"Nothing is going to go wrong. If something happens, then we will deal with it. Like the last time. If you are scared, I want you to tell me so I can help you" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded.

"We are in this together" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded. Troy leaned in and kissed Gabriella's lips softly.

"I love you" Troy said.

"I love you too" Gabriella said.

A couple weeks later, Gabriella came home from work and sighed tiredly. She walked into the kitchen and saw Troy making a bottle for Josh. He looked up and smiled.

"Hi sweetheart, how was your day?" Troy asked.

"Exhausting. I had appointments back to back. On top of all of that, I was nauseous during them all" Gabriella explained.

"I'm sorry baby. How's the nausea now?" Troy asked.

"It's better. But, it's probably better because I drank a lot of water to try to stop it" Gabriella said.

Troy nodded.

"Go take your shoes off and get into some pajamas. I'll bring you some tea once I put Josh down for his nap" Troy said.

"I'll make it" Gabriella said.

Troy took Gabriella's hand in his.

"Let me do it. Please?" Troy asked.

Gabriella sighed in defeat, knowing what was going through her husband's mind.

"Okay" Gabriella said.

"Let me go put Josh down and you change into some comfy clothes" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded. She walked into the bedroom and changed her clothes. Gabriella got into bed and sighed. A couple minutes later, Troy came into the bedroom with a cup of tea and placed it on the table that was on Gabriella's side of the bed. He kissed her head softly. Gabriella's eyes fluttered open.

"Thank you baby" Gabriella said.

"No problem. How are you feeling?" Troy asked.

"Better" Gabriella said taking a sip of her tea.

"Good" Troy said.

"Is Josh asleep?" Gabriella asked.

"Yeah" Troy said.

Troy sat on the bed and pulled down the covers. He kissed Gabriella's stomach softly. Gabriella smiled.

"I can't wait until we can finally tell people about the baby" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded.

"Yeah, should we tell my mom?" Gabriella asked.

Troy propped himself up on one arm and looked at Gabriella.

"Do you want to? It's up to you" Troy said.

"I want to keep my stress level down" Gabriella said.

Troy nodded.

"I know that it's wrong if I don't tell her" Gabriella started.

"But you don't want to risk getting hurt if you do" Troy finished.

Gabriella nodded.

"I don't want to be an emotional pregnant woman like last time" Gabriella said.

"Then we won't tell her until you want to" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded.

"Thanks" Gabriella said.

Troy smiled.

"You are most welcome. You just need to talk these kinds of things out and there will be no stress" Troy said.

"Yeah" Gabriella said.

A couple weeks later, Gabriella was a month and a half along. She had started having morning sickness and would get it twice a day. Once in the morning and once at night. Troy assured her that it was normal. One day, Gabriella came home from work and smiled when she saw Josh wide awake in his play pen.

"Hi baby" Gabriella said lifting her son into her arms.

Gabriella walked into the kitchen and smiled when she saw Troy and Chad.

"Hey baby. How was your day?" Troy asked kissing his wife's lips softly.

"Fine. Hi Chaddy, how's Tay doing?" Gabriella asked.

"She wants the baby to come. Her doctor said that it could be any day now" Chad said.

"Is she getting excited?" Gabriella asked.

"Yeah, she has a fifty page birth plan" Chad said rolling his eyes.

Gabriella giggled.

"She's a doctor who deals with woman every day. What did you expect?" Gabriella asked.

"You didn't do that when you had Josh" Chad said.

"No, but I also didn't know anything about pregnancy or giving birth at the time and that you can actually ask for things. Tay has seen births and knows what a woman in labor wants" Gabriella said.

Chad shrugged.

"So you still don't know if it's a boy or a girl?" Troy asked.

"No. Tay wanted it to be a surprise. I hope it's a boy Troy. I really want to start our own basketball team" Chad said.

"Oh lord" Gabriella said shaking her head.

Troy laughed at Gabriella's reaction.

"It doesn't matter if it's a boy or a girl. As long as it's healthy is the important thing" Troy said.

"Which is why you are our pediatrician" Chad said.

Gabriella looked at Troy and smiled.

"You are going to watch Tay give birth?" Gabriella asked.

"I really don't want to. But, if I have to for work, then I need to" Troy said.

"If Chad faints, I want to know" Gabriella said.

The two men shook their heads.

"I'm sure something like that will happen" Troy joked.

Chad shook his head.

"I promised Tay that I wouldn't" Chad said.

"We will see" Troy said.

Two weeks later, Troy came home later than usual. He walked into the house and smiled when he saw Gabriella watching a movie and feeding Josh. She looked up and smiled.

"Hi Aunt Gabi" Troy said.

Gabriella's eyes started watering.

"She had the baby?" Gabriella asked.

Troy nodded.

"Completely healthy. Tay is doing well. Chad fainted twice" Troy said.

Gabriella giggled.

"When did this happen? I should have been there" Gabriella said.

"No, you shouldn't have. It happened around noon. Chad called me at ten saying that Tay was in labor" Troy said.

"Was it a boy or a girl?" Gabriella asked.

Troy smiled.

"A boy. I guess Chad's dream came true" Troy said.

"What did they name him?" Gabriella asked.

"Kyle Danforth" Troy said.

"At least they came up with a name that wasn't a basketball player" Gabriella said.

"Yeah. How are you feeling today?" Troy asked sitting down next to his wife.

"Okay" Gabriella said.

"Did you throw up tonight?" Troy asked.

"Yeah, right before you came home" Gabriella said.

Troy sighed and looked at his wife, and saw the exhaustion in her eyes.

"I'm sorry for not being here" Troy said.

Gabriella smiled.

"Don't be. It's okay and I'm okay" Gabriella said.

Troy put his hand on Gabriella's stomach.

"I just feel bad when you get sick and I'm not here" Troy said.

"Don't feel bad, babe. You have to work" Gabriella said.

Troy sighed.

"That doesn't take the thought of me worrying about you away" Troy said.

"I just need to relax and rest. That's all" Gabriella said.

Troy nodded. He carefully picked Josh up and looked down at his son and smiled. Troy couldn't wait until their new addition would arrive.


	22. The Right Direction

The next day, Troy came home and saw Gabriella doing her yoga session in the living room. He smiled and was happy that Gabriella was serious about keeping her stress level down. Troy walked quietly into the bedroom and into the bathroom to take a shower. Twenty minutes later, Troy emerged from the bedroom and smiled when he saw Gabriella walking into the room.

"How was yoga?" Troy asked.

"Good. How was the office?" Gabriella asked.

"It was fine. No problems. I'm glad you are doing yoga again" Troy said.

Gabriella smiled.

"I don't want to have the same problems that I had with Josh with this baby" Gabriella said.

Troy nodded.

"And that's a good thing babe. How are you feeling today?" Troy asked.

"Okay. Morning sickness sucks" Gabriella said.

Troy smiled and chuckled.

"It's only temporary" Troy said.

"Yeah, but I can't even make myself food without feeling nauseous" Gabriella said.

"You will get used to it again. How was Josh today?" Troy asked.

"Fine. Mom said that he ate a lot today" Gabriella said.

Troy nodded.

"Good" Troy said.

"Troy?" Gabriella asked.

"Yes baby?" Troy asked.

"What do you think about having a natural birth for this baby?" Gabriella asked.

Troy looked at Gabriella and smiled.

"It's up to you. You need to make that decision because I am not the one going through the pain" Troy said.

"But do you think it's a better idea than having an epidural?" Gabriella asked.

"The recovery will be faster with a natural birth than one with an epidural" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded.

"I just wanted to really try and keep my stress level down and carry that over to the birth" Gabriella said.

"I understand" Troy said.

"I want the birth to be peaceful and not so crazy like with Josh" Gabriella said.

"I understand that babe" Troy repeated.

"I want to know what you think of it. For the well-being of the baby too" Gabriella said.

"As long as the baby is still attached to the umbilical cord, it should be fine. What kind of birth are you looking into? Just a natural birth?" Troy asked.

Gabriella nodded.

"Yeah, I don't want an epidural and I want to limit the amount of machines" Gabriella said.

Troy raised his eyebrow.

"But still in a hospital right?" Troy clarified.

"Of course. I want to start looking into relaxation techniques for labor" Gabriella said.

"Did you research this?" Troy asked.

"A little bit. I don't want my stress level to be high like last time and I want our baby to come into the world peacefully" Gabriella said.

Troy nodded and smiled.

"Then let's make sure that happens okay?" Troy said.

"Okay" Gabriella said.

Troy leaned in and kissed Gabriella's lips softly.

"I love you" Troy said.

Gabriella smiled.

"Love you more" Gabriella said.

Troy smiled.

"Not possible" Troy said.

A cry was heard from the other room and Troy smiled.

"Daddy duty calls. Be right back" Troy said.

"Okay" Gabriella said.

Troy walked into Josh's room and smiled.

"Hey buddy, how was your nap?" Troy asked.

Troy lifted his son out of his crib. He felt his diaper and smiled when it felt dry.

"Let's go see mommy" Troy said.

Troy walked out of the room and went back into the bedroom. Gabriella smiled.

"Hi baby, did you have a good nap?" Gabriella asked as she held her arms out.

Troy placed Josh into his wife's arms.

"Would you want a boy or a girl this time?" Gabriella asked.

"I would want a girl. We already have Josh. But more than anything, I want it to be healthy" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded. The phone rang and Gabriella looked at the caller ID.

"It's mom" Gabriella said.

"Do you want me to talk to her?" Troy asked.

"No, I will talk to her" Gabriella said.

Gabriella took a deep breath and released it.

"Hello?" Gabriella answered.

"Hi Gabi, how's everything going?" Maria asked.

"Everything's fine. What's going on?" Gabriella asked.

"Mark and I set a wedding date" Maria said.

"That's great mom. When is the wedding?" Gabriella asked.

"April fourth" Maria said.

Gabriella's eyes widened. She was going to be seven months pregnant.

"Congratulations" Gabriella said.

"Thank you. How is Josh doing?" Maria asked.

"He's doing well. He's starting to sleep through the night" Gabriella said.

"That's good. Maybe in a couple weeks Mark and I can come visit to see you guys" Maria said.

"Yeah, that would be great" Gabriella said.

"Alright. I will talk to you soon. I love you Gabi" Maria said.

Gabriella smiled slightly.

"I love you too mom" Gabriella said.

Gabriella hung up the phone and looked at Troy.

"What did she say?" Troy asked.

"She and Mark are going to come visit in a couple weeks" Gabriella said.

Troy raised his eyebrows.

"Are you going to tell her about the baby? She's going to know as soon as she sees you" Troy said.

Gabriella sighed.

"I don't really want to" Gabriella said.

Gabriella looked down at her hands. Troy kissed Gabriella's temple.

"You're afraid of what the future holds with your mom" Troy concluded.

Gabriella nodded.

"I don't know if she's going to move again and I don't want to get hurt or worse, our children" Gabriella said as tears ran down her face.

"I completely understand how you feel sweetheart. Here is what I think you should do, now you don't have to do this if you don't want to. But, I think you should tell her and see where it goes. Maybe she will want to be in this new baby's life" Troy suggested.

"I just don't want to get hurt like the last time. I want to enjoy this pregnancy. When I was pregnant with Josh, I couldn't. Because I was so wrapped up in all of her stuff" Gabriella said.

Troy nodded.

"I understand and I want you to enjoy being pregnant too" Troy said putting his hand on Gabriella's stomach.

"Maybe when she comes down here, she and I can talk and I can explain to her how I feel about this new baby and that I want her to know her grandchildren" Gabriella said.

"Whatever you choose to do, you know I will support you one hundred percent" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded.

"Just think about the situation and have a plan of what you are going to say to her" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded. A couple weeks later, the couple was waiting at baggage claim of the airport for Maria. Gabriella was pacing back and forth, wanting to see her mother for the first time in a while. Troy smiled when he spotted his mother-in-law.

"Baby, I see her" Troy said.

Gabriella looked up and smiled when she saw her mother. Maria smiled and walked over to Gabriella and hugged her and kissed her cheek.

"Gabi, I missed you" Maria said.

"I missed you too mom" Gabriella said wiping her tears that were running down her face.

Mark and Troy shook hands. The two couples walked to the car and drove home. Once Maria and Mark were settled at the house, they all sat in the living room.

"Mom, what do you have planned tomorrow?" Gabriella asked.

"Nothing as of right now. I was hoping to spend the day together. Just the two of us" Maria said.

Gabriella smiled slightly and nodded.

"That sounds good" Gabriella said.

Troy smiled as he watched Gabriella and his mother-in-law interact.

"How long are you staying?" Gabriella asked.

"A week" Maria said.

Gabriella smiled. Maria hadn't had a week off in a long time. That night, Gabriella was brushing her teeth when Troy came into the bedroom and shut the door behind him.

"Are you going to tell her tomorrow?" Troy asked.

"Yeah, I'm going to tell her and how I want her to get to know her grandchildren" Gabriella said.

"Good. How are you feeling?" Troy asked as he got into bed.

"A little tired but it's probably because I was so anxious about them coming" Gabriella said.

"Well, now that they are here, maybe you can get some rest" Troy said.

"Yeah. Did you check and make sure that Josh is asleep?" Gabriella asked.

"He's sound asleep" Troy said.

"Okay" Gabriella said getting into bed.

Gabriella placed her head on Troy's chest.

"I hope tomorrow goes well" Gabriella said.

"I hope so too. What do you think she is going to say?" Troy asked running his fingers through his wife's hair .

"She will probably be happy that we are having another baby. But I have no idea what she is going to say about her getting to know her grandchildren" Gabriella said.

"Just talk to her with an open mind" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded and yawned.

"Tomorrow is going to be a long day. I think that you need to get some sleep okay?" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded.

"Are you going to stay late at the office tomorrow?" Gabriella asked.

"I don't know baby. Do you want me to stay home?" Troy asked.

"I am just-" Gabriella started.

"Anxious about tomorrow and need me to be here if something bad happens" Troy finished.

Gabriella smiled sheepishly. Troy smiled and kissed his wife's cheek softly.

"I will try to be home by one okay? Is that alright?" Troy asked.

Gabriella nodded.

"Okay. Get some sleep honey" Troy said.

"Alright. Love you" Gabriella said kissing Troy's lips.

"I love you too baby" Troy said.

The couple fell asleep. The next morning, Troy got ready for work and went to Gabriella's side of the bed. He kissed her cheek softly and saw her eyes flutter open.

"I'm leaving. Have fun with mom today. Call me if you need me" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded. Troy kissed his wife's lips softly and left the house. Gabriella got out of bed and walked into the kitchen and saw Maria sitting at the table with a steaming cup of coffee.

"Good morning honey" Maria said.

"Morning mom. How did you sleep?" Gabriella asked.

"I slept well" Maria said.

"Good. What were you thinking of doing today?" Gabriella asked.

"Maybe we could go to lunch and explore the city. If that's okay with you" Maria said.

Gabriella smiled.

"We could do that" Gabriella said opening a cabinet and pulling out a tea bag.

"You stopped drinking coffee?" Maria asked noticing her daughter's actions.

"Yeah, but only for a little while" Gabriella said

Gabriella made her tea and sat down at the table with her mother.

"Actually, there is something I need to tell you" Gabriella said.

Maria looked at Gabriella and smiled. Gabriella's eyes started watering and she tried to hold in her tears but it was too late.

"I'm pregnant" Gabriella said as tears ran down her cheeks.

"Gabi" Maria said engulfing her daughter into a hug.

Maria kissed Gabriella's head and rubbed her back as she cried. A couple moments later, Gabriella pulled back and wiped the tears from her eyes.

"Sorry" Gabriella said sniffling.

Maria smiled.

"Don't be sorry for getting emotional honey. Congratulations" Maria said.

Gabriella smiled slightly.

"Thanks" Gabriella said.

"I'm thinking that there is more that you need to tell me" Maria said.

Gabriella nodded and took a deep breath and released it.

"Mom, I want you to get to know your grandchildren. I want Josh to know that you are his grandmother and this baby to know that as well. I want them to know you like I do. Josh knows Lucille because he sees her often and she makes a point to come and see him. I want him to have that same relationship with you" Gabriella said.

"I'm going to call my office" Maria said abruptly.

Gabriella's brow furrowed. Had her mother heard what she had just said?

"I knew it" Gabriella said getting up and starting to walk away.

"I'm not finished Gabriella" Maria said.

"You are going to call your office and tell them that you will be back early" Gabriella said turning around and looking at her mother.

Maria shook her head.

"I'm going to call my office and tell them that I quit. I want to know my grandchildren as much as you want them to know me. I don't want to put them through what you had to go through. I won't have that happen" Maria explained.

Gabriella blinked a couple of times trying to see if she had understood her mother's words correctly.

"You are going to resign?" Gabriella asked.

Maria nodded.

"I will move back here and be with my family. We are a family and I want to finally start acting like we are" Maria said.

Gabriella nodded. Tears ran down her face. Maria opened her arms. Gabriella walked into her mother's arms and cried. Maria rubbed her daughter's back and kissed her head.

"I love you" Maria said.

"I love you too. Thank you for listening" Gabriella said.

Maria smiled.

"Thank you for opening my eyes to what's important" Maria said.

Gabriella and Maria went out to lunch. The two women came back home and saw Troy sitting in the living room. Troy looked at his wife and knew something was up. Gabriella walked over to her husband and sat next to him.

"How did today go?" Troy asked.

"She's going to move back here" Gabriella said.

Troy looked at Gabriella.

"Really?" Troy asked.

Gabriella nodded.

"I told her what was bothering me and she told me that she wants her grandchildren to know her and her to know them. She wants us to start acting like a family" Gabriella said.

"Wow" Troy said.

"Yeah" Gabriella said.

"What about her job?" Troy asked.

"She said she was going to resign" Gabriella said.

"Wow" Troy repeated.

Gabriella nodded.

"Are you happy?" Troy asked.

"I'm just emotional about it. She said that she doesn't want to put our kids through what she has put me through" Gabriella said.

Troy nodded.

"I'm glad that you both got to talk about everything and solve this problem" Troy said.

"Me too. Especially with this new baby coming" Gabriella said.

"What did she say about the baby?" Troy asked.

"She wants the baby to know her. She's excited" Gabriella said.

Troy smiled.

"Good. Are you happy that you got to talk and explain to her how you felt?" Troy asked.

Gabriella nodded. She put her hand on her swollen bump.

"Did you get sick this morning?" Troy asked.

Gabriella nodded.

"Yeah, but it wasn't too bad. I drank a cup of tea and that's how mom knew that something was wrong" Gabriella said.

Troy nodded. He put his hand on top of Gabriella's.

"When is your next doctor's appointment?" Troy asked.

"Next week" Gabriella said.

"I'll make sure to clear that hour" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded.

"Do you want to find out the sex?" Troy asked.

"I want to. But only if you want to" Gabriella said.

"Maybe when you hit three months we can find out" Troy suggested.

"Yeah" Gabriella said.

Troy leaned over and kissed Gabriella's lips and then her stomach. A couple days later, Maria and Mark had gone back to New York and were going to start house hunting as soon as possible. One day, Gabriella was waiting for Troy at the hospital. She had her two month check up today. Gabriella's vitals had been checked and she was currently waiting for Dr. Hart and Troy. There was a knock on the door and Troy poked his head in.

"Hey baby. Sorry I'm late. I had a patient that was late" Troy said.

"At least you are here now" Gabriella said.

"Did Dr. Hart come in yet?" Troy asked.

"Not yet" Gabriella said.

Troy kissed Gabriella's lips softly. There was a knock on the door and Dr. Hart came into the room.

"Hi guys. How are you feeling Gabi?" Dr. Hart asked.

"Okay. Morning sickness is awful as always" Gabriella said.

Dr. Hart nodded.

"Have you been getting some rest?" Dr. Hart asked.

"Yeah" Gabriella said.

"I've been making sure that she is not over-exerting herself" Troy said.

"Good. Let's take a look at this baby" Dr. Hart said.

Gabriella nodded. Troy helped his wife lie down on the exam table. He took her hand in his. Gabriella looked at Troy and smiled. Dr. Hart moved Gabriella's gown up and squeezed some gel onto her slightly swollen stomach. She then started moving the gel around with a wand. Dr. Hart and the couple looked at the monitor.

"There's your baby" Dr. Hart said pointing to the screen.

The couple smiled.

"Is it healthy?" Troy asked.

Dr. Hart looked at the monitor and moved the wand around Gabriella's stomach.

"I don't see any problems. The baby looks pretty good and very healthy" Dr. Hart said.

Gabriella smiled. She wiped a tear that was running down her cheek. Troy kissed Gabriella's hand that he was holding.

"I am going to print these pictures for you and I will come back and examine you okay?" Dr. Hart said.

"Okay" Gabriella said.

Dr. Hart left the room. Troy looked at Gabriella and smiled.

"He or she is healthy and so are you. That's all that matters right now" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded.

"Are these happy tears baby?" Troy asked.

Gabriella sniffled and nodded. Troy kissed Gabriella's head softly.

"Don't cry sweetheart" Troy said.

"I'm just so happy right now. The baby is healthy and the fact that my mom is moving back just makes me really happy" Gabriella explained.

Troy smiled.

"I'm happy that you are happy" Troy said wiping her tears away.

Gabriella smiled.

"I love you" Gabriella said.

"I love you too honey" Troy said.

Gabriella wiped the gel off her stomach. There was a knock on the door and Dr. Hart came back into room.

"Alright Gabi, I need to examine you" Dr. Hart said.

Gabriella nodded. She spread her legs apart and took a deep breath. Troy took his wife's hand in his. Dr. Hart washed her hands and put a pair of fresh gloves on. She then sat at the foot of the exam table.

"Take a deep breath for me Gabi" Dr. Hart said.

Gabriella took a deep breath and closed her eyes. Dr. Hart examined Gabriella and came up and smiled.

"Everything looks fine Gabi. I'll see you next month" Gabriella said.

Gabriella changed back into her clothes and the couple left the office. Troy and Gabriella walked out of the office and went back to Troy's office.

"When will you be home?" Gabriella asked.

"At five. I made sure that I got off today on time. Are you going to relieve mom from Josh duty?" Troy asked.

"Yeah, and then I'm going to take a nap" Gabriella said.

Troy smiled.

"Good. You need it. I'll see you later. I love you" Troy said.

"I love you too" Gabriella said kissing Troy's lips.

The couple went their separate ways. Gabriella was so happy about how life was going at the moment and hoped that it would continue on this path.


	23. A New Patient

A couple weeks later, Maria and Mark had moved back to Albuquerque and Gabriella was so happy to have her mother back in the same state. Maria had become very involved in Josh's life which made the couple even happier. One day, Gabriella woke up and got out of bed. She walked into the bathroom and closed the door, not looking forward to regurgitating the remains of her stomach. After she finished, Gabriella walked out of the bathroom and saw Troy open his eyes.

"Did you just throw up?" Troy asked.

"Yeah" Gabriella said.

"Is it getting any better honey?" Troy asked as Gabriella got back into bed and snuggled into her husband's side.

"I don't know" Gabriella said.

Troy put his hand on Gabriella's slightly swollen stomach.

"Do you want me to make you some tea?" Troy asked.

Gabriella shook her head.

"What's the plan for today?" Troy asked.

"Mom and Mark are going to go over some wedding plans. Mom wants my opinion on some details" Gabriella said.

Troy nodded. The baby monitor went off and the couple smiled when they heard Josh babbling.

"I'll go get him" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded. Troy got out of bed and walked out of the room and went to Josh's room. He smiled when he saw Josh wide awake.

"Hey buddy, did you have a good sleep?" Troy asked as he picked his son up out of his crib.

Troy carried Josh over to the changing table and changed his son's diaper. He then picked him up and walked out of the room.

"Good morning mommy" Troy said as he walked back into the master bedroom.

Gabriella opened her eyes and smiled.

"Good morning baby" Gabriella said.

Troy placed Josh in Gabriella's arms.

"He was wide awake" Troy said.

"He knew grandma was going to come over" Gabriella said.

Troy smiled. He got back into bed and sighed.

"Are you happy that mom and Mark are getting married?" Troy asked.

Gabriella shrugged.

"I guess. I mean, I know that it's sometimes hard for me to watch because Mark isn't my dad, but I am happy that he's at least trying to get to know me. He knows that I want mom to be happy" Gabriella said.

Troy nodded.

"Has mom asked how you feel about them getting married?" Troy asked.

"Yeah, she has. She doesn't want me to hate Mark" Gabriella said.

"Do you?" Troy asked.

"No. I know that my dad would want my mom to be happy and to move on" Gabriella said.

"What are we going to have Josh call him? Do you want him to call him grandpa or Mark?" Troy asked.

"I haven't thought about it yet. I'm not calling Mark dad, but I want our children to respect him like he is their biological grandfather" Gabriella said.

"I agree with that" Troy said.

"Are you happy that my mom moved back here?" Gabriella asked.

Troy smiled slightly.

"Of course I am. Seeing you go through pregnancy and raising a baby without your mom's support was frustrating. Now that she has moved back and before the new baby came, I feel like you have a lot more support than just my family and I. You have your own blood relative here" Troy said.

"Even though you argue sometimes?" Gabriella asked.

Troy smiled and kissed Gabriella's head softly.

"I only argued with her because I saw how her living across the country affected you" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded.

"I don't want to argue with mom and I didn't do it to hurt anyone. I did it to protect you, my son, and all our future babies" Troy said.

Gabriella smiled. She leaned over and kissed Troy's cheek softly.

"Thanks" Gabriella said.

"You are most welcome" Troy said.

"I'm glad that she will be able to be here while I'm pregnant with this one" Gabriella said putting her hand on her stomach.

"I am too" Troy said.

"I still want your mom's help too though" Gabriella said.

Troy smiled.

"Baby, I understand and so does she" Troy said.

"I'm just covering all my bases" Gabriella said.

Troy nodded.

"My mom knows that you love her as if she was your own mother" Troy said.

"She helped so much with Josh" Gabriella said.

"And now, both of our mothers can help out with this baby" Troy said.

Gabriella smiled.

"I can't wait" Gabriella said.

A couple hours later, Gabriella and Maria were sitting at the kitchen table with catalogs and different types of magazines scattered everywhere. Josh was taking his nap and Troy was on a run. The front door opened and Troy walked into the house and heard his wife and mother-in-law. He walked into the kitchen and smiled.

"How was your run baby?" Gabriella asked.

"It was good. I definitely needed it. Hi mom" Troy said kissing his mother-in-law's cheek.

"Hi Troy" Maria said.

"Is Josh down for his nap?" Troy asked as he drank a cup of water.

"Yeah" Gabriella said.

"How's the wedding planning going?" Troy asked.

"Gabi is being a perfectionist as always" Maria said.

Gabriella blushed.

"She's going to be a perfectionist until the day she dies" Troy said.

"Ha ha. Very funny. Make fun of the pregnant lady" Gabriella said.

"Don't worry sweetie, I still love you. Our wedding wouldn't have been as amazing as it was if you hadn't planned everything" Troy said kissing Gabriella's lips.

Gabriella sighed.

"We need to find a dress for Gabi. She's going to be seven months pregnant when I get married and I don't want her to feel uncomfortable" Maria said.

"I'm not skilled in that department. You, Tay, and my mom will have to help her with that" Troy said holding his hands up, surrendering.

Gabriella giggled.

"Every time she would ask me how something looked on her, she would get upset so I might as well have someone else help her" Troy said.

"But I still want you to like the dress" Gabriella said.

"And I will. You look beautiful in anything you wear" Troy said.

Gabriella smiled.

"Have you picked out your dress mom?" Gabriella asked.

"Not yet. I was thinking of having Tia Sandra come with me and help me choose" Maria said.

"Is she going to be your maid of honor?" Gabriella asked.

"Yeah. Oh I almost forgot, Mark wanted me to ask if you wanted to go to dinner with him tonight. He's really trying to get to know you Gabi" Maria said.

"I know he is and I am trying to get to know him as well. He's going to be in our lives forever" Gabriella said.

"So is that a yes?" Maria asked.

Gabriella looked at her husband and he nodded.

"I'll go to dinner with him. Babe, are you going to be okay with-" Gabriella started.

"Go and get to know your future stepdad Brie. I have everything under control" Troy said winking at his wife.

Gabriella smiled.

"I guess I am going" Gabriella said.

"Great. I will let him know and send you details" Maria said.

Maria left the house an hour later. Gabriella was in her closet looking for something to wear to dinner with Mark.

"Baby, you look fine" Troy said after Gabriella showed him her fifth outfit choice.

"Are you sure?" Gabriella asked.

Troy smiled. He kissed Gabriella's forehead.

"Don't be nervous. Just be calm. It's just dinner" Troy said.

"I know. I just want to make a good impression even though he's been around me before" Gabriella said.

"I understand. Just have fun" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded.

"Are you sure you are going to be-" Gabriella started.

"You aren't going to get out of dinner with Mark. Everything is under control" Troy said.

Gabriella took a deep breath and released it.

"Alright" Gabriella said.

An hour later, Gabriella parked her car in front of the restaurant where she was going to meet Mark. She walked into the restaurant and smiled when she saw her future stepfather.

"Hey, how's it going?" Gabriella asked as she sat down.

"Good. How are you? How's the family?" Mark asked.

"Everybody's fine" Gabriella said.

"Gabriella, I know that we didn't get off to a good start but I want to try and get along" Mark said.

"I do too. I just am really protective of my mom. Ever since my dad passed away, I just feel like I have to protect her" Gabriella said.

"I understand that and I hope over the last couple of months, we have gotten to know each other a little better" Mark said.

Gabriella nodded.

"We have and I do love you Mark. I love that you love my mom. I want you to be a part of my family. When I first met you, I just didn't know how to react because nobody had told me anything that was going on" Gabriella said.

"And I love you too Gabriella. I want you to be a part of my family too. I understand how you would have been hurt by the way you found out about your mom and I. But, it was never my intention to hurt you. I never had kids so I don't really know how this goes. You happen to be my tester. I'm sorry if I hurt you" Mark said.

Gabriella smiled.

"It's forgiven and forgotten" Gabriella said.

Mark and Gabriella ate their dinner and talked about the upcoming wedding. That night, Gabriella walked into the house and smiled when she saw Troy rocking Josh to sleep.

"Hey baby" Troy said kissing Gabriella's lips.

"Hey, did he just fall asleep?" Gabriella asked.

"Yeah. Let me go put him down" Troy said.

Troy walked away and put Josh into his crib. He came back and smiled.

"So how did it go?" Troy asked.

"It went well. We talked about everything and he apologized for how everything went down when we met. He told me that he wants to be a part of our family and I told that I wanted him to be a part of ours" Gabriella said.

Troy smiled.

"Good" Troy said.

"I told him why I had acted the way I did when I first met him and he was very understanding" Gabriella said.

"I'm glad that you told him how you felt" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded. Troy put his hand on Gabriella's slightly swollen stomach.

"How are you feeling?" Troy asked.

"A little tired but other than that, I feel fine" Gabriella said.

"Did he ask about the baby?" Troy asked.

"He asked how the family was. Nothing about the baby" Gabriella said.

"Oh. Did you have fun helping mom with the wedding stuff today?" Troy asked.

"Yeah, it kind of makes me feel like I am getting married again" Gabriella said.

"Yeah" Troy said.

"Maybe if we have a girl, then this won't be the last time I will be helping plan a wedding" Gabriella said putting her hand on her bump.

"We will see. But, I hope this baby is a girl" Troy said.

"We would have one of each" Gabriella said.

Troy nodded. Gabriella took her sweater off and stretched out her arms.

"Maybe you should get into bed and relax a little bit" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded. Troy kissed Gabriella's nose softly.

"I'll be there in a little bit" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded.

"I love you" Gabriella said.

"I love you too sweetheart" Troy said.

Troy watched Gabriella walked into the bedroom. He smiled. Troy turned off the living room light and went down the hall to Josh's room and poked his head in and saw his son fast asleep. He smiled and walked into the master bedroom. Troy smiled when he saw Gabriella in bed with her shirt up, stroking her small bump. Troy took off his shirt and jeans and got into bed.

"What are we doing tomorrow?" Troy asked.

"Yoga" Gabriella said.

Troy smiled.

"All day?" Troy asked.

"Most of it" Gabriella said.

"Don't overdo it" Troy said.

"I won't. I just want everything to be okay this time" Gabriella said.

Troy nodded.

"I have a staff meeting in the morning but I will be back around noon" Troy said.

"Okay" Gabriella said.

Troy leaned in and kissed Gabriella's lips softly. Gabriella pulled back and smiled. Troy leaned down and kissed Gabriella's expanding bump.

"Love you baby" Troy whispered.

Gabriella smiled.

"Get some sleep" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded. The couple fell asleep. The next morning, Troy woke up and saw that Gabriella was not in bed. He looked at the bathroom door, which was shut, and sighed. Troy got out of bed and walked to the bathroom door and placed his ear against it.

"Sweetheart, are you okay?" Troy asked.

There was no answer, just the sound of dry heaving. Troy opened the door and saw Gabriella sitting on the ground with her body hovering over the toilet. He sat down next to his wife and rubbed her back soothingly.

"It's okay honey. Just relax" Troy said.

Gabriella continued to regurgitate. Five minutes later, she moved away from the toilet. Troy grabbed a hand towel and wet it slightly and wiped Gabriella's face.

"You okay?" Troy asked.

Gabriella nodded and sniffled.

"I can't wait for morning sickness to be over" Gabriella said.

Troy smiled.

"Me too" Troy said helping Gabriella stand up.

Gabriella brushed her teeth and washed her face. She then looked at her husband.

"I have to go. I will be home soon" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded. Troy leaned in and kissed Gabriella's lips. He then left the house. Gabriella walked out of the bathroom and went into Josh's room and smiled when she saw that he was wide awake.

"Good morning baby" Gabriella said lifting Josh out of his crib.

Gabriella got Josh ready for the day. That afternoon, Troy was working on a case in his office when there was a knock on the door.

"Come in" Troy said.

Taylor poked her head in and smiled.

"Lunk head basketball boy is hard at work I see" Taylor said.

Troy looked up and smiled.

"Hey Tay, come on in" Troy said.

Taylor came into the office and sat down in a chair that was in front of Troy's desk.

"What's going on? How's the baby?" Troy asked.

"He's good. Chad is obsessed with him. He's been trying to put a basketball in his hands" Taylor said.

Troy smiled.

"So Chad hasn't done anything stupid?" Troy asked.

Taylor giggled and shook her head.

"No. I have a new patient that you need to see" Taylor said changing the subject.

"What's the story?" Troy asked.

"She's seventeen. She came in and didn't know if she was pregnant or not. I tested her and it came back positive. I asked who her pediatrician was and she told me that it was you" Taylor said.

Troy took a deep breath and released it. Taylor handed Troy a file. Troy opened the file and his face fell and nodded.

"I usually refer them to you" Troy said.

"Yeah I know. She and I talked and I told her that it would be best if you also knew what was going on. She told me that she wants you to be the baby's pediatrician as well" Taylor said.

Troy nodded.

"Is she in an exam room already?" Troy asked.

"Yeah. I figured that we could work on this case together" Taylor said.

"Sounds good" Troy said.

Troy and Taylor got up and walked into an exam room.

"Dana, this Dr. Bolton. He's a pediatrician" Taylor said.

Troy smiled. Dana shook Troy's hand.

"Hi Dana, how far along are you?" Troy asked.

"Four weeks" Taylor answered for her.

Troy nodded.

"We are going to make sure this baby is healthy okay?" Troy said.

Dana nodded.

"I'm just scared" Dana said.

"I know you are sweetheart. Do your parents know?" Troy asked.

"Yeah. They basically told me that I needed to figure everything out myself" Dana said.

"Is the father of the baby around?" Troy asked.

Dana looked down and folded her hands and shook her head. Troy nodded.

"Dana, Dr. McKessie and I are going to be here for you. If you need help, let us know okay?" Troy said.

"Thank you" Dana said.

Troy smiled.

"Did you do an ultrasound?" Troy asked Taylor.

"Yeah, everything looks fine" Taylor said.

"Okay. Is it okay if I check you out and make sure everything looks okay?" Troy asked.

Dana looked at Troy nervously. Troy got the message. He put his hand on Dana's knee.

"I want to help you Dana. I don't want to hurt you. You can trust me" Troy said.

Dana nodded.

"Alright. I'm just going to basically do a physical okay?" Troy said.

"Okay" Dana said.

Troy conducted a physical on Dana. That night, Troy walked into the house and smiled when he saw Josh.

"Hey buddy" Troy said lifting him out of his play pen.

Gabriella came into the room and smiled.

"Sorry that I'm late. I lost track of time. I had a long consultation" Troy said.

"Is everything okay?" Gabriella asked.

"Remember when you asked me if I had seen any births before Josh?" Troy asked.

"Yeah" Gabriella said.

"Well, I'm going to see my first one since I became a doctor" Troy said.

Gabriella looked at Troy.

"Seventeen year old girl went to see Tay. Then she wanted to see a pediatrician and have me be her baby's pediatrician as well" Troy said.

"Are you okay?" Gabriella asked.

"If this baby is a girl, she's never leaving the house" Troy said.

Gabriella smiled. She walked over to Troy and wrapped her arms around him.

"Just relax" Gabriella said.

Troy took a deep breath and released it.

"Her parents told her that she needed to figure everything out by herself" Troy said.

"Wow" Gabriella said.

"Yeah" Troy said looking down at Josh.

"So what are you going to do?" Gabriella asked.

"I'm going to do what I do best. I'm going to make sure that this girl is healthy and that her baby is as well" Troy said.

"Are you nervous about it?" Gabriella asked.

"Yeah" Troy said.

"Everything will be fine. Tay knows what she is doing" Gabriella said.

Troy nodded. He looked at Josh and smiled.

"Joshua, if you ever get a girl pregnant before you are an adult, you are going to be in big trouble. Do you understand?" Troy asked.

Josh just smiled and babbled. Gabriella shook her head. Later that night, Troy walked into the bedroom after putting Josh down. He got into bed and smiled when he saw Gabriella reading a pregnancy book.

"How was yoga today?" Troy asked.

"It was good. The bump is starting to grow a little more so it is hard to move around" Gabriella said.

Troy smiled. He leaned down and kissed Gabriella's stomach.

"When is your next doctor's appointment?" Troy asked.

"Friday" Gabriella said.

Troy nodded.

"What are you thinking about?" Gabriella asked.

Troy smiled.

"I just can't stop thinking about this new patient. Her parents told her that she needed to do everything on her own and the father of her child isn't in the picture. Why would someone leave a pregnant girl...a woman alone?" Troy asked.

"Sometimes people do crazy things baby. They sometimes give up and don't know what to do because they are scared for their children" Gabriella said.

Troy sighed.

"This girl was absolutely petrified" Troy said.

"I'm sure she was" Gabriella said.

"If it was my daughter, I would never leave her alone. Yes, I would be upset but I would never leave her alone" Troy said.

Gabriella smiled.

"That's why I know you are a good father" Gabriella said.

Troy smiled.

"Your a good mother too baby. Get some sleep okay?" Troy said.

Gabriella leaned in and kissed Troy's lips softly. Troy kissed her back and pulled away slowly. The couple went to bed that night thankful for their family and friends.


	24. Troy The Saint

The next day, Troy walked into the office and smiled when he saw Taylor standing at the reception desk, with a file in her hand.

"Morning Tay" Troy said.

"I just got a call from the hospital and Dana was brought in" Taylor said.

"What happened?" Troy asked taking the file out of his friend's hand.

"The ER team says that she had a panic attack and is being kept in the hospital for observation" Taylor said.

"The baby?" Troy asked.

"Stable as of right now" Taylor said.

Troy sighed.

"Well, let's go and see what's going on" Troy said.

Taylor and Troy went to the hospital and smiled at the pediatric staff that they knew so well. The two doctors located where Dana was and walked into her hospital room.

"Hey there, what happened?" Taylor asked.

"The nurse told me that I had a panic attack" Dana said.

Troy and Taylor nodded.

"The baby is stable she said" Dana said.

"Correct. Do you have a history of panic attacks?" Taylor asked looking at Dana and then at Troy.

"Yes" Troy and Dana said simultaneously.

"Dana, the baby needs to be in a stress-free environment. If you get so stressed out to the point of having a panic attack, the baby will go into distress and may have to be delivered early" Taylor explained.

Dana's eyes filled with tears and nodded.

"I'm sorry" Dana said.

Taylor and Troy smiled.

"Don't apologize. Dana, we want to help you. But we can only do that if you help yourself too" Taylor said.

Dana nodded.

"I'm going to refer you to our therapist that we have in the office. She can help you with your panic attacks and find ways to control the magnitude of them, okay?" Troy said.

"Okay" Dana said.

Troy gave Dana the information of the therapist.

"So then what's the next step?" Dana asked.

"Try out a session with the therapist and see if it makes a difference with your attacks and we will take it from there. As for right now, I want to do an exam and make sure there is nothing else going on, alright?" Troy said.

"I do too" Taylor said.

Dana nodded. Troy and Taylor conducted their exams and wrote their findings in Dana's chart. They then left Dana's hospital room.

"I didn't think I would have to be handling two pregnant women at the same time" Troy said.

Taylor smiled.

"She's not your daughter, Troy. You can't jump into that situation" Taylor said.

"I know, but I feel bad that this is the situation at hand right now" Troy said.

"I understand. But, this is your patient. She's not related to you at all. You can have some sympathy but not to the point of being a parent figure to her" Taylor said.

Troy nodded. That afternoon, Troy went home and smiled when he saw Gabriella holding Josh.

"Hey, how did everything go today?" Gabriella asked.

"Dana, the pregnant seventeen year old that I told you about, she landed herself in the hospital" Troy said.

"What happened?" Gabriella asked.

"She had a panic attack" Troy said.

"Is she okay?" Gabriella asked.

"She's stable. Tay thinks I'm going overboard for her" Troy said.

"You care about your patient, babe. Tay just wants there to be boundaries, which there should be" Gabriella said.

Troy nodded.

"I just feel like she trusts me to take care of her and I don't want her to think that the only person she trusted, will just leave her hanging" Troy said.

"She won't think that. You just need to set boundaries" Gabriella said.

Troy nodded.

"How was your day?" Troy asked changing the subject.

"Alright. I'm exhausted. I had a lot of work to do at the office" Gabriella said.

Troy lifted his son into his arms.

"Why don't you get into your pajamas and just relax okay? I'll put him down" Troy said looking at a sleepy Josh.

"Okay" Gabriella said.

Troy leaned in and kissed Gabriella's lips.

"I love you" Troy said.

Gabriella smiled.

"I love you too" Gabriella said.

Gabriella kissed her son's head and walked out of the room. Troy looked at Josh, who had fallen asleep and smiled.

"Let's get you in bed, buddy" Troy said.

Troy put Josh to bed and walked into the bedroom and saw Gabriella looking at her small, growing bump.

"You never looked more beautiful" Troy said kissing Gabriella's shoulder.

Gabriella smiled.

"Baby has grown a lot this week" Gabriella said.

"Yeah" Troy said placing his hand on top of Gabriella's.

"Do you have a packed day tomorrow?" Gabriella asked.

"I hope not" Troy said.

"My mom wants me to help her with more wedding details" Gabriella said.

"Don't stress yourself out over it. If you don't agree to something, then tell her" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded. Troy leaned in and kissed Gabriella's lips.

"You should get some sleep" Troy said moving a stray hair behind Gabriella's ear.

Gabriella nodded.

The couple got into bed. Gabriella snuggled as close as she could to her husband.

"Good night baby, I love you" Troy said.

"Night, I love you too" Gabriella said.

A couple days later, it was Friday. Gabriella had her three month checkup. The couple had agreed to meet at Troy's office and walk over to Dr. Hart's office together, like they always did. Gabriella walked into Troy's office and waved at Pat. Pat opened the sliding glass window.

"He'll be right out Gabriella" Pat said.

"Thanks Pat" Gabriella said.

Troy opened the door to the waiting room and smiled when he saw Gabriella waiting for him.

"You ready?" Gabriella asked.

"Yeah, let's go" Troy said taking Gabriella's hand.

The couple walked out of the office. Troy entwined their fingers together.

"How are you feeling today?" Troy asked.

"Morning sickness was a pain" Gabriella said.

"I'm sorry baby" Troy said.

"Some days are worse than others" Gabriella said.

Troy nodded. The couple got into the elevator. Gabriella leaned her head against Troy's shoulder. Once the elevator reached the fourth floor, the couple walked out of the elevator and into Dr. Hart's office. Gabriella signed herself in and sat next to Troy. A couple minutes later, a nurse came into the room and smiled.

"Gabriella?" the nurse called.

The couple stood up and followed the nurse into a room where Gabriella's vitals were taken. They then were escorted into an exam room.

"Change into this gown and Dr. Hart will be in shortly" the nurse said.

"Thank you" Gabriella said taking the gown out of the nurse's hand.

The nurse left the room. Gabriella changed into the gown and sat on the exam table.

"I was thinking that maybe we could go see my parents tonight. Is that okay?" Troy asked.

"Yeah, I haven't seen or talked to mom in a while" Gabriella said.

"Okay" Troy said.

There was a knock on the door and Dr. Hart came into the room.

"Hi guys. How are you feeling Gabi?" Dr. Hart asked.

"Morning sickness sucks" Gabriella said.

Troy smiled slightly.

"Everything feeling okay?" Dr. Hart asked.

"Yeah" Gabriella said.

"What about your stress level? Have you been managing it?" Dr. Hart asked.

"She's been pretty calm. She's doing a great job" Troy answered for his wife.

Gabriella smiled at her husband. Troy winked at her.

"Good. Let's take a look and see how the baby is doing today" Dr. Hart said writing notes down in Gabriella's file.

"Okay" Gabriella said lying down on the table.

Troy took Gabriella's hand in his and kissed it gently. Dr. Hart turned on the ultrasound and waited for it to heat up. Once it was heated, Dr. Hart took a bottle of gel and squeezed some of the product onto Gabriella's stomach. She then took the wand and moved the gel around Gabriella's stomach.

"There's your baby" Dr. Hart said pointing to the screen.

Gabriella and Troy smiled.

"Is it healthy?" Gabriella asked.

"Looks like it. It shows no sign of distress" Dr. Hart said.

Troy looked at Gabriella and smiled. Gabriella had tears running down her face. Troy kissed Gabriella's cheek and wiped her tears away.

"Is it getting big?" Gabriella asked.

"Yeah, it has grown significantly since the last time that I saw you. Do you want to know the sex?" Dr. Hart asked.

Gabriella looked at Troy, who nodded.

"Yes" Gabriella said.

Dr. Hart moved the wand around Gabriella's stomach again and looked at the monitor and smiled.

"You are having a baby girl" Dr. Hart said.

Gabriella's eyes filled with tears of happiness.

"We are having a baby girl" Gabriella repeated.

Troy smiled and kissed Gabriella's head softly.

"Let me go print these pictures for you and I will come back to examine you" Dr. Hart said.

"Okay" Gabriella said.

Dr. Hart left the room. Gabriella looked at Troy and couldn't help but to cry.

"Are these happy tears baby?" Troy asked.

Gabriella nodded.

"I'm so happy. I love you Troy" Gabriella cried.

Troy smiled and leaned in and kissed Gabriella's lips softly.

"I love you too sweetheart. She's healthy and not in distress. That's the main thing" Troy said.

"I've been working hard to keep my stress level under control" Gabriella said.

"I know you have and the work paid off" Troy said.

Gabriella smiled slightly.

"Let's see if she is doing okay down there" Troy said looking down at Gabriella's lower body.

Gabriella nodded. There was a knock on the door and Dr. Hart came back into the room.

"Okay, I want to examine you and make sure everything is alright" Dr. Hart said.

Gabriella spread her legs apart and took Troy's hand. Troy looked at Gabriella and smiled.

"Take a deep breath for me Gabi" Dr. Hart said.

Gabriella took a deep breath and Dr. Hart examined her. Troy kissed Gabriella's head and smoothed her hair back.

"Just breathe baby" Troy said.

Gabriella took deep breaths as Dr. Hart examined her. A couple moments later, Dr. Hart looked up and smiled.

"Everything looks fine. I'll see you in a month" Dr. Hart said.

"Okay" Gabriella said sitting up.

Dr. Hart threw her gloves away and left the room. Troy smiled. Gabriella changed back into her clothes and the couple left the office and walked to Troy's.

"I don't have any patients for an hour, you can stay and hang out if you want" Troy said.

"Okay" Gabriella said.

The couple walked into the pediatric office and smiled at Pat, who was sitting at the reception desk.

"So, did you find out the sex?" Pat asked.

Everyone in the office stopped what they were doing and looked at the couple. Troy looked at Gabriella, silently asking for permission. Gabriella nodded.

"We are having a baby girl" Troy said.

All the doctors and nurses cheered and congratulated the couple. Troy and Gabriella walked into Troy's office and shut the door behind them. Gabriella sat down in the chair that was in front of Troy's desk. Troy sat down in his chair.

"Are you happy to be having a girl?" Troy asked.

"Yeah, we will have one of each. I love you guys but I needed a girl" Gabriella said.

Troy smiled.

"Are you happy?" Gabriella asked.

"Of course I am. I would have been happy either way. But, most of all, I care that you and the baby are healthy. That's all that matters to me" Troy said.

Gabriella smiled.

"Our mothers will be happy" Gabriella said.

"Yeah, I think that they are going to be happier than us about baby girl" Troy said.

"We have to start thinking about names" Gabriella said.

"We can do what we did with Josh and make a list?" Troy suggested.

"Okay, but we still have a while before she even thinks about coming" Gabriella said.

"Yeah, Josh will be a year and a half when she comes. He'll be talking" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded. There was a knock on the door and Taylor poked her head in.

"Gabi" Taylor said.

Gabriella smiled.

"Hey Tay" Gabriella said.

"So, are you excited about having a baby girl?" Taylor asked.

"So excited" Gabriella said

"What about you Troy?" Taylor asked.

"Like I told Gabs, I would be happy either way. But, my main concern is if her and the baby are healthy" Troy said.

Taylor nodded.

"Well, I just wanted to see if you were still around and congratulate you myself. I have a patient" Taylor said.

"Thanks Tay" Gabriella said.

Taylor left the room. Gabriella looked at Troy.

"You should be getting back to work" Gabriella said.

"But-" Troy started.

"No buts. You are going to miss a month when she comes so you can't complain" Gabriella said.

Troy sighed.

"Are you going to go to the office?" Troy asked.

"No, I took the day off. I'm going to go relieve my mom from Josh duty" Gabriella said.

"Okay baby. Are you going to tell her?" Troy asked.

"I want to tell our families together" Gabriella said.

"Okay" Troy said.

Gabriella stood up and walked behind Troy's desk and leaned in and kissed his lips.

"I love you" Gabriella said.

"I love you too. Be careful driving home" Troy said.

"I will" Gabriella said.

Gabriella left the office and drove home. A couple hours later, Troy walked into the house and smiled when he saw Gabriella feeding Josh.

"Hey" Troy said.

Gabriella looked at Troy and smiled.

"Hey" Gabriella said.

"How was he today?" Troy asked.

"Mom said he was fine" Gabriella said.

Troy smiled.

"Good" Troy said kissing Gabriella's lips softly.

"How was the rest of your day?" Gabriella asked.

"It was fine. What time are our families coming?" Troy asked.

"Seven" Gabriella said.

"Okay" Troy said.

A couple hours later, the Bolton's and Maria arrived at the house. They all were sitting in the living room, catching up.

"We have an announcement" Troy said.

The Bolton's and Maria looked at Troy. Troy looked at Gabriella, silently asking if she wanted to announce what they were having. Gabriella smiled.

"I went to the doctor today and we found out what we are having" Gabriella said.

"Tell us!" Maria and Lucille said excitedly.

Gabriella smiled.

"We are having a baby girl" Gabriella said.

Their families cheered and congratulated the couple. That night, Troy came out of the bathroom and saw Gabriella already in bed, with her shirt up and looking at her small, but expanding bump. He smiled and got into bed.

"What are you thinking about?" Troy asked.

"Our daughter" Gabriella said.

Troy smiled. He put his hand on Gabriella's stomach and leaned down and kissed it gently.

"Do you think Josh will love her?" Gabriella asked.

"I think that he will. It's going to take some getting used to, but he will be fine" Troy said.

"Do you think he's going to understand what's going on?" Gabriella asked.

"I don't think he will. He's too young, but I could be wrong" Troy said.

"He's going to be talking soon" Gabriella said.

"Yeah, but not until he's at least a year old" Troy said.

Gabriella yawned.

"Maybe you should get some sleep" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded tiredly. Troy leaned in and kissed Gabriella's lips softly.

"Night baby. I love you" Troy said.

"Night baby. I love you too" Gabriella said.

The couple fell asleep. The next morning, Troy woke up and saw that Gabriella was already up and not in the bedroom. He got out of bed and walked out of the room and went to Josh's room and saw that he was not in his crib. Troy walked into the living room and smiled when he saw Gabriella trying to get Josh to go back to sleep.

"He woke up in the worst mood" Gabriella said.

"Let daddy try" Troy said opening his arms.

Gabriella placed Josh into Troy's arms. Troy gently rocked Josh around the room. Josh began to fall asleep. Once he was completely asleep, Troy stopped moving and looked down at his son.

"Let's put him in his play pen" Troy said quietly.

Gabriella nodded. The couple walked upstairs and went into their bedroom. Troy placed Josh into the play pen carefully and made sure that Josh didn't wake up. Once he saw that his son was fast asleep, Troy walked out of the room.

"Is he out?" Gabriella asked.

"Yeah" Troy said.

Gabriella put her hand on her bump.

"How are you feeling?" Troy asked.

"A little nauseous and achy but I feel fine" Gabriella said.

"That doesn't sound fine" Troy said.

"I'm not in a lot of pain. My muscles just have to get used to carrying more weight again" Gabriella said.

Troy nodded.

"Is it your back baby?" Troy asked.

Gabriella nodded.

"Do you want to use the heating pad?" Troy asked.

Gabriella shook her head.

"No, I'm fine. It's nothing to worry about" Gabriella said.

"Okay" Troy said.

"I think I'm going to go lie down and try to fall asleep again" Gabriella said.

"Is that why you woke up so early?" Troy asked.

"My back was bothering me and Josh had started crying so I got up and stayed up" Gabriella said.

Troy sighed. He felt bad that Gabriella got out of bed while she was in pain.

"You should have woken me up Brie. I would have gotten him" Troy said.

"It's okay" Gabriella said.

"Babe, if you aren't feeling well, I will take care of Josh" Troy said.

"Troy, it's fine. Can we just stop talking about this?" Gabriella asked.

"Okay" Troy said.

"I'm going to get in bed" Gabriella said.

Troy nodded.

"Let me know if your back gets worse please" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded. Troy kissed Gabriella's lips softly and pulled away slowly. He placed a stray hair behind Gabriella's ear.

"I just don't want anything to happen to you like last time" Troy said.

Gabriella smiled.

"I know and I'm glad that you care so much. If it gets worse, I will tell you okay?" Gabriella said.

Troy nodded. Gabriella wrapped her arms around her husband. Troy put his head on top of Gabriella's and kissed it gently. He placed his hand on Gabriella's back and rubbed it soothingly.

"I love you" Troy said.

"I love you too" Gabriella said.

Gabriella walked out of the room. Troy sighed. He hoped that Gabriella would get some much needed rest. A couple weeks later, Gabriella was four months pregnant and her bump was growing rapidly. One day, Troy came home from work and smiled when he saw Gabriella making a snack in the kitchen.

"Hey baby" Troy said.

"Hey" Gabriella said looking at her husband.

"How are you feeling?" Troy asked.

"Okay" Gabriella said.

"Just okay?" Troy asked.

Gabriella nodded.

"I'm a little tired" Gabriella said.

"You need to take it easy" Troy said.

"But, I have to finish the rest of mom's wedding stuff" Gabriella said.

"Sweetheart, your mom understands that you need to have some time to yourself" Troy said.

"I want to finish" Gabriella said persistantly.

"I know you do baby. But it can wait until tomorrow" Troy said.

Gabriella sighed.

"Okay" Gabriella said.

Troy smiled slightly.

"Everything else okay?" Troy asked.

"Yeah, work was just rough today" Gabriella said.

"Go and take a nap. I'll watch Josh" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded. Troy kissed Gabriella's cheek softly.

"Love you baby" Troy said.

"Love you too" Gabriella said.

Gabriella went into the bedroom and took a nap. A couple hours later, Gabriella woke up feeling refreshed. She got out of bed and walked out of the bedroom and into the living room, where Troy was watching television. Troy looked up and smiled.

"Feeling better?" Troy asked.

Gabriella nodded.

"Is Josh down for his nap?" Gabriella asked.

"Yeah, he just went down" Troy said.

"Okay" Gabriella said.

Gabriella put her hand on her bump. The phone rang and Troy picked it up.

"Hello?" Troy answered.

"Hey" Taylor said.

"Hey, what's going on?" Troy asked.

"How's Gabi?" Taylor asked.

"She's fine. Do you want to talk to her?" Troy asked.

"Yes please" Taylor said.

Troy handed Gabriella the phone. Gabriella smiled and took the phone.

"Hello?" Gabriella answered.

"Gabs, what are you doing today?" Taylor asked.

"Nothing. Just relaxing, why?" Gabriella asked.

"Let's go shopping. Chad is watching Kyle so I am free for the day" Taylor said.

"Okay" Gabriella said.

"Chad will probably be at your house anyway. He and Troy can watch the boys together" Taylor said.

"True" Gabriella said.

"So I will be at your house in an hour" Taylor said.

"Okay" Gabriella said.

The two women hung up the phone.

"Tay wants to go shopping" Gabriella said.

"Oh" Troy said.

"She wants me to go with her" Gabriella said.

"Are you going to? You can if you want to baby" Troy said.

"I'm tired but at the same time, I need to get out of the house and not go to work either" Gabriella said.

"Go out with Tay and have a good time" Troy said.

"Tay said that Chad might come over with Kyle" Gabriella said.

"Perfect. You ladies, go and have a good time" Troy said.

"Are you going to be okay with Josh?" Gabriella asked.

"Yeah, go and have fun" Troy said.

"Okay" Gabriella said.

Troy leaned in and kissed Gabriella's lips and watched his pregnant wife stand up and leave the house.


	25. A Turn For The Worst

A couple hours later, Gabriella walked into the house, exhausted from shopping with Taylor. She had bought some maternity shirts and leggings, since she wasn't getting any smaller. Gabriella walked into the kitchen and smiled when she saw Troy feeding Josh.

"Hey" Gabriella said wrapping her arms around her husband.

"Hey, did you have fun with Tay?" Troy asked.

"Yeah, I got some shirts and a couple of pairs of leggings since I am starting to show more" Gabriella saiid.

Troy smiled.

"Good. See, wasn't it nice to get out of the house for a little bit?" Troy asked.

Gabriella nodded against Troy's neck. She kissed it gently.

"But I missed you" Gabriella said.

Troy smiled.

"I missed you too baby" Troy said knowing that Gabriella's hormone levels were going crazy.

" I'm going to go take a shower. My feet hurt" Gabriella said.

"Alright sweetheart" Troy said.

Gabriella walked away. Troy smiled and shook his head.

"Your sister is making your mommy crazy Josh" Troy said.

Twenty minutes later, Gabriella walked back into the kitchen.

"Feeling better?" Troy asked.

"Much" Gabriella said.

Troy wrapped his arms around Gabriella and slid one of his hands under her shirt and stroked her expanding stomach.

"My mom called while you were with Tay" Troy said.

"Oh, how is mom?" Gabriella asked.

"She's asking about her granddaughter" Troy said.

Gabriella smiled hearing the word daughter. She was so excited to be having a baby girl.

"What did she ask?' Gabriella asked.

"She wanted to know if your cravings had kicked in and if you had killed me with your mood swings" Troy said.

Gabriella smiled.

"Not yet. It's still too early for all of that" Gabriella said.

"Well, you did have your first mood swing before you got into the shower" Troy said.

Gabriella looked at her husband, confused.

"What?" Gabriella asked.

"Yes baby. You were snuggling into my neck and said that you missed me" Troy said.

"But I did miss you" Gabriella said.

Troy smiled. He knew Gabriella didn't want to admit that she had had a mood swing.

"Baby, it's okay for you to have a mood swing" Troy said.

"But I didn't" Gabriella said.

Troy laughed.

"Okay baby. Whatever you say" Troy said surrendering.

Gabriella sighed. The phone rang and Gabriella picked it up.

"Hello?" Gabriella answered.

"Hi Gabi, do you have a minute?" Maria asked.

"Yeah, what's up?" Gabriella asked.

"What do you think about white roses?" Maria asked.

Maria was still planning her wedding that would be in four months.

"I think that would be nice" Gabriella said.

"Okay" Maria said.

The two women hung up. Gabriella put the phone down and sighed. Troy looked at Gabriella.

"What did she ask this time?" Troy asked.

"Flower arrangements" Gabriella said.

Troy sighed.

"She needs to plan her own wedding and not be asking her four month pregnant daughter to plan with her" Troy said.

"But I agreed to help her. It's my fault" Gabriella said.

"I know you agreed to babe. But she has to see it for herself. You are four months pregnant and I don't want you to be in and out of the hospital like last time. Your mom didn't think of that part" Troy said.

Gabriella looked down.

"So should I tell her that I can't help her?" Gabriella asked.

Troy's face softened. He held out his hand and Gabriella took it. Troy pulled Gabriella gently onto his lap.

"I want you to help her Brie. But I don't want you to get into a stressful situation that you can't get out of like last time. I want you and our baby girl to be safe. That's all" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded.

"I'll tell her that I can't help her" Gabriella concluded.

"Brie" Troy started.

Gabriella got off of her husband.

"It's fine Troy. I'm going to go take a nap" Gabriella said.

"Okay honey" Troy said.

Gabriella walked out of the room and went into the bedroom and took a nap. A couple hours later, Gabriella woke up and saw that Troy was lying next to her, asleep. She smiled slightly. Gabriella snuggled into her husband's chest and kissed his neck softly. Troy wrapped his arm around Gabriella's back and brought her as close to him as she could get. He opened his eyes slowly and smiled.

"Hey" Troy said softly.

"Hey" Gabriella said.

"How are you feeling?" Troy asked.

"Alright, I hate when we argue" Gabriella said.

Troy kissed his wife's cheek softly.

"I hate it too. I'm sorry" Troy said.

"I'm sorry too" Gabriella said.

A cry filled the house and Troy released Gabriella and got off the bed.

"Don't move" Troy said.

Troy walked out of the room and came back with a crying Josh.

"There's mommy" Troy said looking at his son.

Gabriella smiled. She opened her arms and Troy placed Josh into them.

"Hi baby" Gabriella said.

"Back to our conversation, we need to figure out a plan because this situation isn't going to get better unless we solve it" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded.

"I'll tell her that I can't help her because my stress level has to be zero and that I don't want what happened with Josh to happen to her" Gabriella said.

Troy nodded.

"I know that you hate me for trying to-" Troy started.

"I would never hate you. I understand that you want us to be safe and that last time was scary. I just have to realize that I'm pregnant again and have to modify what I am usually capable of doing" Gabriella said.

Troy nodded.

"I am only telling you because I love you" Troy said.

Gabriella smiled.

"I love you too and I love you too baby" Gabriella said looking down at Josh.

Troy smiled. He leaned over and kissed Gabriella's lips softly. A couple weeks later, Gabriella was five and a half months pregnant. Her bump had grown a lot in the last few weeks and she had started getting uncomfortable. One night, Troy woke up to not seeing Gabriella in bed. He got up and walked to the bathroom and saw that Gabriella wasn't in there. Troy then walked into the living room and saw Gabriella leaning against the wall. He quickly walked over to Gabriella.

"Baby, why are you up this late?" Troy asked.

Gabriella looked at her husband, with tears streaming down her face. She had a hand on her bump.

"Cramps and really bad" Gabriella cried.

Troy's face softened.

"Okay, okay. Just relax alright? Everything's fine. Come on sweetheart" Troy said taking Gabriella's hand in his and helping her walk to the couch and sit down.

Gabriella just cried. Troy started to massage Gabriella's back soothingly, trying to get her cramps under control. Twenty minutes later, Gabriella was still in pain.

"Troy" Gabriella cried.

"Yes baby?" Troy asked.

"Just take me to the hospital. It's not worth trying to get them to calm down anymore" Gabriella said whimpering .

"Are you sure? We can wait a little bit longer and see if they calm down" Troy said.

Gabriella shook her head.

"It hurts really bad" Gabriella said.

"Do you want me to call my mom to watch Josh?" Troy asked.

Gabriella nodded painfully.

"Okay" Troy said softly.

Troy picked up the phone and called Lucille and explained to her what was going on. She agreed to come over and watch Josh while the couple was at the hospital. Ten minutes later, Lucille let herself into the house and saw the worried look on Troy's face.

"How is she doing?" Lucille asked.

"She's in a lot of pain" Troy said.

"Don't worry about anything. I have everything under control here" Lucille said.

Troy nodded and hugged his mother. He then helped Gabriella stand up. Troy saw that Gabriella was shaking because she was in so much pain. He helped her walk out of the house and get into the car. Troy got into the car and started driving.

"How far away are we?" Gabriella whimpered.

"We will be there in about five minutes sweetie. Just relax okay?" Troy said.

"I'm sorry" Gabriella said softly.

Troy looked at Gabriella and took her hand that he was holding and kissed it gently.

"You have nothing to be sorry for" Troy said.

Five minutes later, the couple arrived at the hospital. Gabriella was escorted to a hospital room and hooked up to monitors. Troy came into the hospital room after he had finished filling out Gabriella's information on the forms that he was given.

"How are you feeling baby?" Troy asked softly.

"So much pain" Gabriella cried.

"Show me where the pain is" Troy said.

Gabriella pointed to the front of her stomach and Troy nodded. There was a knock on the door and Dr. Hart came into the room. She did her exam and gave Gabriella some pain medication to ease the cramps, which she had said were normal. Dr. Hart wanted to keep Gabriella in the hospital for further observation and she had just fallen asleep. Twenty minutes later, Gabriella opened her eyes slowly. Troy smiled and sat on the edge of the hospital bed.

"Hey" Troy said softly.

"Hey" Gabriella said softly.

"How are you feeling?" Troy asked.

"No pain" Gabriella said quietly.

Troy smiled.

"Good" Troy said.

"I'm sorry if I scared you" Gabriella said.

"It's not your fault sweetie. These things happen. I'm just glad you are feeling better" Troy said moving a stray hair away from his wife's face.

"I love you" Gabriella said as tears ran down her face.

Troy smiled. He leaned over and kissed Gabriella's cheek.

"I love you too sweetheart" Troy said as he wiped Gabriella's tears away.

"So what do we do now?" Gabriella asked.

"We wait and see what Dr. Hart wants to do. We have to figure out what these cramps are and why they are happening" Troy said.

"Will she want tests done?" Gabriella asked.

"Probably" Troy said.

Gabriella sighed.

"Sorry baby" Troy said.

"It's not your fault" Gabriella said.

"Why don't you get some rest now that your cramps are gone?" Troy suggested.

Gabriella nodded.

"Sleep up here with me?" Gabriella asked.

Troy smiled and got up from his seat and climbed into the hospital bed. Gabriella snuggled into Troy's chest.

"You comfortable?" Troy asked.

Gabriella nodded. Troy rubbed Gabriella's back in small, soothing circles. He saw Gabriella's body start to relax.

"Get some sleep baby. Don't fight it" Troy said.

Gabriella's eyes closed and her breathing evened out. Troy kissed Gabriella's head softly and fell asleep himself. A couple hours later, Gabriella woke up and saw Troy standing outside the hospital room talking to Dr. Hart.

"Troy?" Gabriella called.

Troy looked over and smiled. He held up a finger and Gabriella took a deep breath. A couple moments later, Troy walked back into the room and smiled.

"How was your nap?" Troy asked.

"Fine. What did Dr. Hart say?" Gabriella asked.

"She said that your blood pressure is a little high and we need to monitor it" Troy said.

"And the baby?" Gabriella asked.

"She's fine. She's just getting a little stressed out" Troy said putting his hand on Gabriella's stomach.

"I tried to-" Gabriella started.

"I know you did honey. But, some things are out of our control. Dr. Hart is going to start you on some medication that will help keep your blood pressure stable. It won't harm the baby in any way" Troy explained.

Gabriella's eyes filled with tears.

"I tried Troy, I really did" Gabriella said.

"I know you have been baby and I know that you don't want to go down this road again. But, we need you and baby girl to be healthy" Troy said.

Tears ran down Gabriella's cheeks.

"She's going to put you on bed rest and that will help keep your pressure down along with the medication" Troy said.

"Mom's wedding" Gabriella said.

Troy's eyes softened.

"Brie, we can't risk your blood pressure going up. I'm so sorry baby. You have to tell mom that you can't go" Troy said.

Gabriella closed her eyes and started to cry. Troy kissed Gabriella's cheek softly.

"I'm so sorry sweetheart" Troy repeated.

"I should have not gotten pregnant" Gabriella said.

"Baby" Troy started.

"Can you just leave me alone right now please?" Gabriella asked softly.

"Sure" Troy said.

Troy kissed Gabriella's cheek softly.

"I'm going to go to the office" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded. Troy was about to walk out of the room when he heard Gabriella.

"Troy" Gabriella said.

Troy looked at his wife.

"I love you" Gabriella said.

Troy smiled slightly.

"I love you too. Call me if you need me" Troy said.

Troy left the room and sighed. He leaned against the wall at the entrance of Gabriella's hospital room and closed his eyes. He felt horrible that Gabriella had to go through this. Troy pulled himself together and went to his office. A couple hours later, Gabriella was lying in her hospital bed with her hand on her bump.

"Why are you giving me trouble like your brother did baby girl? Can't you behave for mommy?" Gabriella asked to no one in particular.

Troy heard Gabriella talking and walked into the hospital room quietly.

"She takes after her daddy" Troy said making himself known.

Gabriella looked at Troy and smiled slightly. Troy walked over to the hospital bed and sat on the edge.

"How are you feeling?" Troy asked.

"Stressed" Gabriella said.

Troy nodded.

"I'm sorry for what I said earlier" Gabriella said.

"Don't worry about it Brie" Troy said.

"I'm going to worry about it. It wasn't right for me to get so upset" Gabriella said.

Troy kissed Gabriella's cheek softly.

"I understand that you are upset sweetheart. You have every right to be" Troy said.

Gabriella sighed.

"It just sucks that this is happening again. I tried so hard to prevent it and it happened anyway" Gabriella said.

"I know you did baby. But, our babies seem to just want to cause trouble for their mommy" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded.

"Do we know how long I have to stay here?" Gabriella asked.

"Not yet. I'll go and ask your nurse in a little bit"Troy said.

Gabriella nodded. Troy climbed onto the bed and lied down next to Gabriella. Gabriella snuggled into Troy's chest as close as she could. Troy put his hand on Gabriella's back and rubbed it in soothing circles.

"I love you" Troy said.

"I love you too" Gabriella said.

"Everything is going to be okay" Troy said.

"How do you know that it is?" Gabriella asked.

Troy moved Gabriella's chin up so she was looking directly at him. He kissed her head softly.

"I know because you are the strongest person I know and you can get through anything" Troy said.

Gabriella's eyes filled with tears. Troy continued to rub Gabriella's back.

"You are the one that makes me strong" Gabriella said.

"You were strong long before you even met me. You are going to have cramps and aches and pains, but I will always be by your side. No matter what" Troy said.

Gabriella sniffled. There was a knock on the door and Lucille poked her head in.

"Hey sweetheart. I brought someone that I think will cheer you up" Lucille said.

Lucille walked into the room and Gabriella smiled when she saw Josh in her mother-in-law's arms.

"Hi baby" Gabriella said.

Lucille placed Josh into Gabriella's arms. Gabriella kissed her son's head softly.

"So what's going to happen?" Lucille asked.

"We are waiting for Brie's test results. When they come in, Dr. Hart will tell us what needs to happen. But as of right now, she is on complete bed rest" Troy said.

"Oh honey" Lucille said looking at her daughter-in-law.

Tears ran down Gabriella's cheeks.

"Gabi, I'm so sorry" Lucille said.

"It's for the best" Gabriella said.

There was a knock on the door and Dr. Hart came into the room.

"Hi guys" Dr. Hart said.

"Hi Dr. Hart, did her results come back?" Troy asked.

"Yeah" Dr. Hart said sitting on the edge of the hospital bed.

"What's wrong?" Gabriella asked.

"Everything is elevated Gabi. We need to start you on some medication that will help you relax and be able to get some rest. I also want you to stay here for the remainder of the pregnancy" Dr. Hart said.

"What about my son?" Gabriella asked.

"Troy can take care of Josh" Dr. Hart said.

Gabriella had tears running down her face.

"Troy" Gabriella started.

"Baby, it's for the best" Troy said.

Gabriella squeezed her eyes shut and choked out a sob.

"I don't want to do this anymore" Gabriella cried.

Troy took a deep breath and released it.

"Can I have a minute alone with her?" Troy asked.

"Of course" Dr. Hart said.

Dr. Hart and Lucille walked out of the hospital room. Troy looked at Gabriella.

"Gabriella Bolton look at me" Troy said.

Gabriella looked at her husband with tears in her eyes.

"I know you are upset baby. But, we need to keep her safe. If your blood pressure keeps going up and down like it has been, it's going to create a bigger problem once you are further along. We need to monitor it. The best place to do that is in the hospital. I will figure out what to do with Josh but you shouldn't be thinking of that right now. Your focus needs to be on the baby" Troy said.

"I didn't want things to end this way" Gabriella said.

"I know and I didn't either. But it's happening Gabs. We can't prevent it anymore" Troy said.

Gabriella looked down and folded her hands on her bump.

"I'm sorry" Gabriella said softly.

Troy sat on the edge of the bed and put his hand on Gabriella's cheek.

"Do not apologize Brie. This isn't your fault okay? Let's see what Dr. Hart wants to do" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded slightly.

"I'm going to go get her and mom" Troy said.

"Okay" Gabriella said.

Troy got up and walked out of the hospital room and came back with Lucille and Dr. Hart.

"Gabi. I know that you are upset about this whole thing. I want you to know that I would never want to endanger you or your baby in any way. I want her to come out healthy" Dr. Hart said.

Gabriella nodded.

"What is she allowed to do and not do?" Troy asked.

"She can get up and walk around, she can go to the lounge down the hall, and pretty much do anything now that she is being monitored" Dr. Hart said.

Troy nodded. He looked at Gabriella.

"That sounds okay right?" Troy asked.

"What about Josh? Can he come and see me?" Gabriella asked changing the subject.

"Of course" Dr. Hart said.

Gabriella looked at Troy.

"Okay" Gabriella said.

Dr. Hart finished talking to the couple and walked out of the room. Troy and Gabriella got situated for their stay at the hospital. Troy knew that everything was going to be okay, he just needed to convince Gabriella that it was too.


	26. Thank You For Your Sacrifice

The next morning, Troy woke up to his phone vibrating, signalling that he had to go to work. He got off the hospital bed and changed into the clothes that Lucille had brought from their house. Troy leaned over and kissed Gabriella's cheek softly and her eyes fluttered open.

"I have to go to the office baby" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded.

"When will you be back?" Gabriella asked.

"As soon as I can" Troy said.

"Okay" Gabriella said.

"Call the nurse if you need anything and if you need me, have them page me okay?" Troy said.

"Okay" Gabriella said.

Troy leaned in and kissed Gabriella's lips.

"I love you" Gabriella said.

"I love you too. I'll be back soon" Troy said.

Troy left the hospital room and walked across the street to his office. He was about to open his office door when he saw Taylor walking towards him.

"How's it going?" Taylor asked.

"Gabriella is on complete bed rest in the hospital" Troy said.

"Is she okay?" Taylor asked.

"She's a little stressed out" Troy said.

"And how are you doing?" Taylor asked.

"I'm exhausted. I've been staying with her and Josh has been at my parents house. It's just really stressful right now" Troy said rubbing the sleep from his face.

"If you want Chad and I-" Taylor said.

"Tay, I can handle it" Troy said.

"Alright. I will go see her now since I don't have any patients for a while" Taylor said.

"Okay" Troy said.

A couple hours later, Gabriella was watching television when Dr. Hart came into the room.

"How are you feeling today?" Dr. Hart asked.

"Bored" Gabriella said

"Gabi, this was the best possible option" Dr. Hart said.

"I know, it just sucks" Gabriella said.

"Can I do an exam just to make sure everything's okay?" Dr. Hart asked.

"Okay" Gabriella said.

Gabriella spread her legs apart and Dr. Hart was about to examine her when Troy came into the room.

"What's going on?" Troy asked stopping at the entrance of the room.

"Dr. Hart needs to check me" Gabriella said.

"Is everything okay?" Troy asked worriedly.

Gabriella smiled. Dr. Hart looked at Gabriella and smiled.

"You have a wonderful husband. Troy, relax. I'm just doing an exam to make sure Gabriella isn't dilating" Dr. Hart said.

"Oh" Troy said.

Gabriella looked at Troy.

"Relax baby. I'm fine" Gabriella said holding her hand out.

Troy took Gabriella's hand in his.

"Alright, I just didn't know what was going on" Troy said smoothing Gabriella's hair back and placing a kiss on her forehead.

"Take a deep breath for me Gabi" Dr. Hart said.

Gabriella did as she was told. Troy continued to smooth back Gabriella's hair. Dr. Hart did her exam and looked up and smiled.

"You aren't dilating, which is a good sign" Dr. Hart said.

"Good" Troy and Gabriella said simultaneously.

"Can I go for a walk?" Gabriella asked.

"Sure, let me hook you up to a portable monitor and you can go" Dr. Hart said.

"Okay" Gabriella said.

Dr. Hart hooked Gabriella up to a portable monitor. She and Troy then helped Gabriella sit up and get off the bed.

"You feeling okay?" Troy asked.

"Yeah" Gabriella said.

"Page me or the nurse when you come back and we will hook you up to the other monitors again" Dr. Hart said.

"Okay" Gabriella said.

Troy entwined his fingers with Gabriella's and the couple walked out of the hospital room. Troy was pushing Gabriella's monitor. As soon as they got out of the room, Gabriella stopped. She wrapped her arms around her husband and cried into his shirt. Troy was surprised by this but instantly wrapped his arms around Gabriella.

"Baby, talk to me" Troy said.

"It's just too much stress" Gabriella cried.

Troy moved a stray hair away from Gabriella's face. He kissed Gabriella's head softly. Troy placed his hand on Gabriella's bump and rubbed it in soothing circles.

"Look at me" Troy said softly.

Gabriella looked at her husband with tears running down her face.

"What are you stressed out about? Tell me everything" Troy said.

"The baby" Gabriella said.

"What about her?" Troy asked.

"I want her to be safe and she's not" Gabriella said.

"She is safe though baby. This is the safest place she can be right now" Troy said.

Tears ran down Gabriella's face.

"She might come early" Gabriella said.

"We don't know that. So we shouldn't make assumptions" Troy said.

"Josh" Gabriella cried.

"He is fine" Troy said.

"I won't see him every day" Gabriella said.

"I will bring him or mom can bring him to see you" Troy said.

Gabriella sighed.

"Don't worry" Troy said.

A couple months later, the couple had gotten used to being in the hospital. Josh was a year and a half and had said his first word which was "mommy" a couple weeks ago. Gabriella was thrilled! Gabriella was eight and half months pregnant. She was checked by a nurse three times a day and had gotten too tired to walk around the floor. One day, Troy walked into the hospital room carrying Josh.

"Hey sweetheart" Gabriella said reaching her arms out.

Troy placed Josh into Gabriella's arms.

"Mommy" Josh said.

Gabriella smiled.

"Yes baby" Gabriella said.

"How are you feeling? Did Dr. Hart come in?" Troy asked.

"Feeling okay. A little tired. Dr. Hart said I am dilating" Gabriella said.

"Really? Are you having contractions?" Troy asked.

"No, just cramps" Gabriella said.

"Well, that's good thing right?" Troy asked carefully.

"She's going to come early" Gabriella said.

"It's better than being induced" Troy said.

Gabriella was defeated. She nodded. Troy sat on the edge of the bed and put his hand on Gabriella's bump and felt his daughter kick his hand. He smiled and leaned down and kissed Gabriella's stomach.

"Hi baby girl" Troy said.

Gabriella smiled. That night, Gabriella woke up, feeling cold. She then realized her legs and sheets were wet. She took a deep breath and released it. Gabriella was in labor. She shook Troy, who was asleep in the small bed next to the hospital bed.

"Troy?" Gabriella called.

Troy's eyes opened and he sat up quickly.

"What's wrong?" Troy asked sleepily.

"My water broke" Gabriella said.

"Okay, let me go get Nicole. Are you having contractions?" Troy asked wiping the sleep from his eyes and pressing the call button.

"No, but I'm sure I will soon" Gabriella said.

There was a knock on the door and Nicole, Gabriella's nurse that she had had for the duration of her hospital stay came into the room.

"What's up?" Nicole asked.

"My water broke" Gabriella said.

"Let me check you out" Nicole said putting on a pair of gloves.

Gabriella closed her eyes and whined. Her first contraction. Troy rubbed Gabriella's back and kissed her head.

"Just breathe Brie" Troy said.

Gabriella breathed through the contraction. Once it ended, she then relaxed.

"Is it over?" Nicole asked.

Gabriella nodded. Troy and Nicole separated Gabriella's legs. Nicole examined Gabriella and smiled.

"Yeah, your water broke. I'm going to page Dr. Hart. If you need anything, you know how to get in touch" Nicole said.

Nicole left the room.

"Troy" Gabriella cried.

"I'm right here baby girl. Just breathe. Everything is okay" Troy said holding her hand in his.

Gabriella breathed through the contraction and relaxed.

"It hurts more than it did with Josh" Gabriella said.

"She's going to be a troublemaker" Troy said rubbing Gabriella's leg.

"Hold my hand please" Gabriella said.

"I got you" Troy said smoothing Gabriella's hair back.

Gabriella closed her eyes tightly.

"They are like on top of each other. I have no breaks" Gabriella said.

"Relax sweetheart. Take a deep breath and release it" Troy said in a soothing voice.

Gabriella took a shaky deep breath and released it. There was a knock on the door and Dr. Hart came into the room.

"So this is it? How are you feeling?" Dr. Hart asked.

"Painful" Gabriella said.

"I need to check you" Dr. Hart said.

Dr. Hart checked Gabriella and said she was about three centimeters.

"Do you want an epidural when you get to five?" Dr. Hart asked.

"No" Gabriella said.

"No?" Troy asked.

"No" Gabriella confirmed.

"Brie" Troy started.

"Troy, I want to feel her come into the world" Gabriella said.

Troy looked at Gabriella and took a deep breath and release it.

"Okay" Troy said.

Hours went by and there was no sign of the baby coming. There was a knock on the door and Troy opened it and smiled when he saw Maria, who he had called a couple hours before.

"How is she?" Maria asked.

"In a lot of pain" Troy said.

Maria walked into the room.

"Sweetheart, your mom is here" Troy said.

Gabriella looked at her mother, and couldn't help but cry.

"Your here" Gabriella cried.

"Of course I am here. Gabi, you are doing so well" Maria said.

"It hurts" Gabriella said.

"I know it does. But think of it this way. Your baby girl is almost here" Maria said.

Gabriella squeezed her eyes shut and let out a piercing scream.

"Baby, just breathe. Deep breaths" Maria said rubbing Gabriella's stomach in soothing circles.

"Why do you have to make things so difficult baby girl?" Gabriella asked to her unborn daughter.

Troy smiled. He was so happy that Maria had a chance to experience this with Gabriella. Troy was pulled out of this thoughts when he heard Gabriella call him.

"Troy?" Gabriella called softly.

"Yeah baby?" Troy asked.

"Can you get Nicole? I need to push" Gabriella said.

"Okay, don't push yet babe" Troy said.

Troy walked out of the room and came back with Nicole.

"Let's see where you are at" Nicole said.

Gabriella spread her legs apart and Nicole checked her.

"You are ready. I'm going to page Dr. Hart" Nicole said walking out of the room.

"Troy, I really need to push" Gabriella cried.

"I know baby. I know. Don't push yet" Troy said smoothing her hair back and placing a kiss on her forehead.

Nicole came back into the room.

"Alright, you ready to start pushing?" Nicole asked.

Gabriella nodded painfully.

"On the next contraction, I want you to push as hard as you can" Nicole said.

Gabriella nodded. Troy kissed Gabriella's head softly. Gabriella's legs were pulled back by Troy and Maria.

"You can do this babe" Troy said rubbing her calf.

Gabriella whined.

"Can I push?" Gabriella asked painfully.

"Go for it sweetheart" Troy said looking at Nicole to make sure it was okay.

"Gabriella, take a deep breath and push" Nicole said.

Gabriella took a deep breath and pushed hard. She squeezed her eyes shut and whined. Gabriella then fell back against the bed.

"That was a good one" Troy said.

"Can I push again?" Gabriella asked.

"Are you having a contraction?" Nicole asked.

Gabriella nodded.

"Alright, go ahead" Nicole said.

Gabriella took a deep breath and pushed again. She fell back against the bed and tears ran down her face.

"It hurts so bad" Gabriella cried.

"I know it does Gabi. You are doing so well" Maria said.

There was a knock on the door and Dr. Hart came into the room.

"You ready to bring this baby into the world?" Dr. Hart asked.

Gabriella nodded tiredly.

"I need to push Troy" Gabriella said.

"Push baby. If you need to, do it" Troy said.

Gabriella pushed hard and cried. She then fell against the bed.

"Troy" Gabriella said.

"Yes baby?" Troy asked.

"I can't do it" Gabriella said.

Troy put his hand on Gabriella's cheek and kissed her head softly.

"You can do this Brie. I know you can" Troy said.

"It didn't take this long with Josh. Why is it taking so long?" Gabriella asked tiredly.

"She's happy in there" Troy said.

"What if she can't come out?" Gabriella asked.

"Baby, she's going to come out. Don't worry about that" Troy said.

Gabriella leaned her back against the bed.

"You need to push?" Troy asked.

Gabriella nodded.

"Okay Gabi, take a deep breath and push" Dr. Hart said.

Gabriella pushed hard. She felt like her whole body was on fire. Gabriella fell back against the bed. Two hours later, Gabriella had changed positions and was still pushing, with no sign of the baby coming.

"Come on baby, you can do this" Troy said encouragingly.

Gabriella pushed hard and screamed.

"I want her out" Gabriella cried.

"She's coming baby" Troy said rubbing her back soothingly.

"I can't do this anymore" Gabriella said.

"Yes you can Brie. She's almost out. I can see her head" Troy said.

Gabriella pushed hard and fell against the bed.

"Good job sweetie. You are doing great" Troy said.

"How much longer?" Gabriella asked shakily.

"We just need one big push and her head will be out" Dr. Hart said.

Troy looked at Gabriella and winked at her.

"Can I push?" Gabriella asked.

"Go for it" Dr. Hart said.

Gabriella pushed and she let out a scream.

"Her head is out" Dr. Hart said.

"Good job Brie. She's almost here" Troy said kissing Gabriella's head softly.

"Alright, one more big push and she will be out okay?" Dr. Hart said.

"One more push sweetheart and then it will be over" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded tiredly. She took a deep breath and without any instruction, pushed hard and didn't listen to any of the encouragement that everyone was giving her. Gabriella just wanted her baby girl out. She was brought out of her thoughts when she heard a cry.

"She's here Brie" Troy said.

Dr. Hart and Troy placed the baby on Gabriella's chest. Gabriella started crying. She looked over and saw her mother crying.

"Mami" Gabriella said.

"Gabi, she's beautiful" Maria said wiping a tear from her eye.

Gabriella looked at Troy and smiled. Troy cut the cord and looked at Gabriella.

"I love you" Gabriella said.

"I love you too baby. You did amazing" Troy said kissing Gabriella's lips softly.

"It was way harder than Josh" Gabriella said.

"But you did it Brie. You amaze me in every single way. You gave me your heart and two beautiful babies. I fall in love with you more and more each day" Troy said.

"I love you so much" Gabriella said.

Troy leaned in and kissed Gabriella's lips.

"We need to get a pediatrician in here. Troy?" Dr. Hart called.

Troy smiled.

"Let me go check baby girl out and we will continue this" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded. Troy kissed Gabriella's lips one last time and went over to the nurses and started doing assessments. Five minutes later, Troy walked over to the hospital bed with their daughter in his arms. He placed her into Gabriella's arms.

"Is she healthy?" Gabriella asked.

"Perfectly" Troy said.

Dr. Hart examined Gabriella and looked at her.

"Gabi, you need to push one more time to deliver the placenta" Dr. Hart said.

"Okay" Gabriella said.

Gabriella took a deep breath and pushed one more time and instantly felt relief.

"I'll come check on you guys in a little while. Congratulations!" Dr. Hart said.

"Thank you" Troy and Gabriella said simultaneously.

Dr. Hart and the nurses left the room.

"Mom, do you want to hold your granddaughter?" Gabriella asked.

Maria wiped the tears that were falling from her eyes and nodded. Troy took his daughter out of Gabriella's arms and placed her into Maria's. Maria looked down and smiled. She kissed the newborn's head softly.

"What's her name?" Maria asked.

Gabriella looked at Troy and smiled. He nodded.

"Sophia Maria Bolton" Gabriella said proudly.

Maria smiled.

"Gabi" Maria started.

"Mom, you were here when I needed you. You made a sacrifice for me. You quit a job that gave you more money just so you could have a relationship with my family and children" Gabriella said.

Maria kissed Gabriella's cheek softly.

"I love you" Maria said.

"I love you too" Gabriella said.

Maria looked down at Sophia and smiled.

"I'm your grandma" Maria said.

The couple was so happy that the new addition to their family had finally arrived and that Maria had been there to experience it with them.


	27. My Strength

An hour later, Maria had left the hospital so that the couple could have some privacy. Troy walked out of the bathroom and smiled when he saw Gabriella holding Sophia.

"I can't believe she's here" Gabriella said.

"I know. You did a great job Brie. I'm so proud of you" Troy said.

Gabriella looked at her husband and leaned in and kissed his lips.

"I couldn't have done it without you" Gabriella said.

"When do you want everyone to come and meet her?" Troy asked.

"First I want Josh to meet her. It's his sister" Gabriella said.

Troy nodded.

"That birth though" Gabriella said shaking her head.

Troy smiled.

"It was definitely harder than Josh's" Gabriella said.

Troy nodded.

"But you got through it" Troy said.

"I love you" Gabriella said.

Troy smiled. He leaned in and kissed Gabriella's lips.

"I love you too" Troy said.

"I'm really happy that you thought to call mom. I didn't think of that" Gabriella said.

"I knew that having mom here would make you feel better. She missed Josh's birth and I didn't want her to miss Sophia's birth either" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded.

"Thanks for being there for me when I needed you. I know that the last couple months have been difficult" Gabriella said.

Troy smiled.

"I'll always be here for you, Josh, and Sophia. We are a family" Troy said.

Gabriella smiled and yawned.

"Maybe you should get some sleep sweetheart. You've had a long day" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded.

"Wake me up if anyone comes" Gabriella said.

"I will" Troy said.

Troy kissed Gabriella's lips softly. Gabriella smiled and pulled him in for one last kiss. Troy pulled back and smiled. He put his hand on Gabriella's cheek.

"Get some rest" Troy said.

"You too" Gabriella said.

Troy smiled and nodded. The couple fell asleep. A couple hours later, there was a knock on the door. Troy was on his laptop and got up and opened the door. He smiled when he saw his mother.

"Congratulations!" Lucille said.

Troy put his finger to his lips and motioned to a sleeping Gabriella. He stepped out of the room.

"How did it go?" Lucille asked.

"She's perfectly healthy. Brie is exhausted. This time around it was much harder" Troy said.

"What's her name?" Lucille asked.

Troy smiled.

"Brie will have to tell you when she wakes up" Troy said.

"Troy" Lucille whined.

"Sorry mama. Thank you for coming" Troy said kissing his mother's cheek.

"Of course" Lucille said.

Troy heard Gabriella call him. He walked into the hospital room and saw Gabriella sitting up.

"Hey baby girl, how are you feeling?" Troy asked sitting on the edge of the bed.

"Really sore and tired. But, so happy that she's here" Gabriella said.

Troy smiled. He kissed Gabriella's cheek softly.

"Just rest. The soreness will go away in a couple days. My mom is here" Troy said.

"Where?" Gabriella asked.

"She's in the hallway. We were trying to let you sleep" Troy said.

Gabriella smiled.

"She wants to know the name. I told her that you would have to tell her" Troy said.

Gabriella smiled.

"She can come in" Gabriella said.

"Okay, let me go get her" Troy said.

Troy left the room and came back with Lucille.

"Congratulations honey! How are you feeling?" Lucille asked.

"Really tired and really sore" Gabriella said.

"I remember that feeling" Lucille said.

"Do you want meet your granddaughter?" Gabriella asked.

Lucille nodded. Gabriella looked at Troy.

"Can you get her?" Gabriella asked.

"Yeah" Troy said.

Troy went over to the bassinet and picked up Sophia. He then placed her into Lucille's arms.

"She's beautiful Gabi" Lucille said.

Troy and Gabriella smiled. Troy sat on the edge of the bed. Gabriella leaned her head against Troy's shoulder and watched her mother-in-law interact with her daughter.

"What's her name?" Lucille asked.

Gabriella smiled.

"Sophia Maria Bolton" Gabriella said proudly.

"That's beautiful. Has your mom seen her yet?" Lucille asked.

"Yeah. Troy actually called her when I was in labor and she came and was here for the birth" Gabriella said.

"That's great. I'm really happy that you both are on the same page" Lucille said.

"Yeah and she is going to bring Mark later to meet her" Gabriella said.

Maria had gotten married two months ago while Gabriella was in the hospital. But, she was skyped in at the ceremony so she could see her mother get married.

"That's great. I just wanted to see how you were doing and meet this little one" Lucille said kissing Sophia's head.

"Thank you for coming mom" Gabriella said.

Lucille smiled.

"No problem. Let me know when you want me to bring Josh" Lucille said.

"I will" Gabriella said.

Lucille left the hospital. Troy closed the door and looked at his wife and smiled.

"Are you going to breastfeed?" Troy asked.

"I want to" Gabriella said.

"Okay" Troy said.

Gabriella pulled her hospital gown, exposing one of her breasts and brought Sophia up to it. She latched on and Gabriella smiled. Gabriella looked up at Troy.

"Come here" Gabriella said patting the free spot next to her on the bed.

Troy walked over and sat next to Gabriella carefully. He kissed her head softly. Gabriella looked down at Sophia and smiled.

"She's ours" Gabriella said.

Troy nodded.

"I am just so happy" Gabriella said.

Troy smiled.

"I can't believe I gave birth to her without an epidural. If I didn't have you Troy, I don't think I could have done it. Honestly. What we went through to conceive her, the hospital stay, and the birth...You were there for everything. You were my strength when I said that I couldn't do it anymore or that I was scared out of my mind for what the future held. You were my comfort when I needed you. I love you so much and I have no idea how I could ever live without you" Gabriella said as tears ran down her cheeks.

"Hey, don't cry. I love you too Gabs. So much it hurts. You kept going when you heard the worst news. You gave birth to our baby girl without any meds, even when you were in excruciating pain. If we are talking about strength, my strength is and always will be you" Troy said.

Gabriella smiled slightly. Troy wiped Gabriella's tears away. He put his finger under Gabriella's chin and moved it up toward him and kissed her lips passionately. Gabriella pulled back slowly and leaned her forehead against Troy's. She sniffled. Troy smiled. Gabriella looked down and saw that Sophia had pulled away from her breast.

"Can you burp her for me?" Gabriella asked.

Troy lifted his daughter out of Gabriella's arms and patted her back gently until she burped while Gabriella cleaned herself up. There was a knock on the door and Maria poked her head into the room.

"Are you up for some visitors?" Maria asked.

Gabriella smiled.

"Sure, come on in" Gabriella said making sure she was presentable.

Maria and Mark came into the room.

"She's gorgeous guys" Mark said.

"Thank you" Gabriella said.

"Let's go see grandpa" Troy said getting up carefully from the bed and placing Sophia into Mark's arms.

Mark looked down at Sophia and smiled.

"She is beautiful" Mark said.

Everyone nodded. Mark placed Sophia into Maria's arms.

"When are you being discharged?" Maria asked.

"Tomorrow and then we have to pick Josh up from Lucille's" Gabriella said.

"If you need us to take Josh so you can get everything settled, we will" Mark said.

Gabriella and Troy smiled.

"We will see how everything goes. If it's too crazy, we will definitely let you know" Gabriella said.

Maria kissed Sophia's head softly and placed her granddaughter into Troy's arms.

"We will let you get some rest" Maria said.

"Okay, thanks for coming guys" Gabriella said as Maria kissed her daughter's cheek.

"Of course" Maria said.

Maria and Mark left the hospital.

"I'm starting to feel the soreness a lot more" Gabriella said.

Troy nodded.

"You were pushing for a long time. You are going to feel sore for a couple days" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded.

"Why don't you go back to sleep sweetie? Just rest" Troy said.

"She's going to want to eat again soon" Gabriella said.

"I'll wake you up in an hour" Troy said.

"Okay" Gabriella said.

Gabriella went back to sleep. The next day, Gabriella was released from the hospital. The couple brought Sophia home and Josh was dropped off.

"Troy, can you take Josh into the living room so I can feed Sophia?" Gabriella called from the bedroom.

"Yeah" Troy said coming into the bedroom.

Gabriella smiled.

"Thanks babe" Gabriella said kissing Troy's lips.

"No problem. Take your time" Troy said lifting Josh into his arms.

Troy left the room with Josh in his arms. Gabriella pulled down her shirt and bra and brought Sophia up to her breast. Sophia latched on and Gabriella smiled.

"Hi baby girl" Gabriella said.

Sophia ate her meal and then pulled away from Gabriella. Gabriella patted her daughter's back and heard her burp. She smiled.

"Okay, let's go see what daddy and Josh are doing" Gabriella said.

Gabriella got up and carried Sophia out of the room. She walked into the kitchen and smiled when she saw Troy giving Josh a bottle.

"Daddy, we finished" Gabriella said.

Troy turned around and smiled.

"Hey, there's my girl" Troy said opening his arms.

Gabriella placed Sophia into Troy's arms. Troy looked down at his daughter and smiled.

"Hi baby" Troy said.

The rest of the day the little family got to know each other and tried to adapt to having two children under two in the house.


End file.
